Never Stop Smiling Part 1
by gamergirl104
Summary: She was different. She didn't give him the attention that all the other Day Class girls did. It was the first time that a human fascinated him this much. But would curiosity turn into something more? TakumaxOC REWRITTEN!
1. Curiosity

**Updated this chapter, fixing some of the grammar and wording. I'm quite satisfied with how chapter 1 was before, so other than dialogue, hardly anything else was changed. Hope you enjoy it!**

**I don't own VK.**

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Takuma arrived at the Kuran mansion. Stepping out of his car, he noticed a red Porsche and a black Benz also parked on the driveway.

"It seems that Hanabusa and Akatsuki are here. I assume Ruka's with them as well," he thought to himself. He brushed aside his blonde hair that fell along his face as he walked up the cobble-stoned steps and rang the doorbell. The door creaked open, and a petite figure with long, dark-brown hair appeared.

"Takuma, it's great to see you! I'm so glad you could make it," Yuki welcomed, leaning towards him for a hug.

Gently patting her on the shoulders, he replied, "It's nice to see you again too, Yuki." He warmly smiled and then asked, "How are you and Kaname doing?"

"Great," she replied cheerfully. "Come on in. The others are already here." He stepped in and glimpsed around the European interior of the mansion, reminding him of the Moon Dorm at Cross. Yuki led him to the back of the house where the patio was. Tea and pastries were set out on the table with Kaname, Hanabusa, Akatsuki, and Ruka encircled around it, chatting.

"We're back," announced Yuki.

"Ichijo!" Hanabusa called to him, being the first to jump out of his chair and embrace his old friend. Takuma smiled at the little, blue-eyed blonde crushing him in his hug.

"Nice to see you too, Hanabusa," he responded. "It's nice to see all of you. It's been awhile." He then took Akatuki's hand which he held out to him, returning the welcoming firm shake.

"Glad too see that you're doing well," said Ruka, giving him a hug. Takuma then noticed Kaname standing behind Ruka. There was a hint of joy on the black-haired pureblood's visage that hardly ever surfaced during these past few years. His crimson eyes were as penetrating as always, piercing into Takuma's green ones.

"Kaname," Takuma then said to him, giving him a casual yet respectful nod. His friend revealed a small smile in response and greeted back in the same lax manner. Once settled, the group took their seats back around the elegantly crafted table.

"Rima and Kain couldn't make it today?" Ruka then asked.

"They're at a photo shoot downtown," replied Takuma, thanking Yuki as she handed a cup of tea to him.

"They're even busier now with that Italian company trying to get them to model for their products," Yuki added.

"Hanabusa, how's the clinic going?" asked Kaname.

"It's a mess," he complained, resting his cheek against his hand. "Humans just aren't satisfied with what they've already _got_. They want things bigger, thinner, tighter, whiter…blah, blah, blah!" Yuki giggled as he rambled on about his clients while Takuma glanced over and noticed Ruka and Akatsuki holding hands. He hid the tiny smile he had behind his hand, happy to see the two of them finally together. Akatsuki had been waiting for Ruka for so many years, but she was always obsessed with Kaname.

"I guess there are such things as happy endings," he thought to himself as he watched the five of his companions continue to chat. A sudden thought of a girl crossed his mind. She had a small frame with waist-length black hair and blue eyes. There was a faint smile on her face, and she was wearing the Day Class uniform from the academy. The image abruptly vanished when he heard Yuki's voice call to Ruka.

"Ruka, did you and Akatsuki finish moving in?" she asked.

"We did!" she replied, setting her cup down. "Everything's set up. You should come and visit the place. The view is quite fabulous."

"How long will you be staying?" Kaname turned to Takuma and asked.

He crossed his legs and then answered, "Just for a little bit. I have a meeting in London in a few days."

"Your company seems to be doing really well, at least that's what I've read in the papers," Yuki said, reaching for a strawberry-cream tart.

"Well, there were minor issues with the branches in England, but the people there assured me that the problems were resolved. However, just for my peace of mind, I'm going to see for myself."

"You're always so busy. You barely have a social life anymore," Ruka remarked.

"Staying busy helps keep my mind from thinking of…_certain _things," he responded with a soft smirk. She was about to speak again, but then Akatsuki gently squeezed her hand. Without another word, she closed her mouth and leaned back against her chair.

Takuma stayed once the others departed, assisting Yuki clean up, since she let the maids to take the day off. He set his coat on the couch inside and walked out into the patio to bring the teacups and plates to the kitchen. Yuki was washing the dishes at the sink as he entered in.

"Thanks, Takuma. Just put them on the counter," she told him. He did so and then took his cup, pouring some more tea from what was left in the pot. "I…wanted to ask you something back there, but…I didn't want it to be a big deal," she brought up, scrubbing the plate with the sponge.

"What is it?" He took a sip of the tea, waiting for her to continue.

"When you said that staying busy helped keep you from thinking of _certain _things…" She turned off the water and wiped her hands onto the apron before turning half her body to look at him. "Did you mean _her_?" He set his cup down, avoiding her dark auburn eyes. She saw an almost unnoticeable frown take the place of his usual smile as he turned his back to her and walked to the other end of the center counter.

"Yeah," he replied.

"You still haven't let go, have you?" she asked.

"I can't." She could sense the struggle in his words. "A few years, and I…I still love her…"

"Hey…Look at me," she said to him, her hand on his arm, trying to get him to turn around. The ashamed sadness that clouded his green eyes was visible once she saw them. "Have you tried looking for her?"

"I've looked all over the east side." He strayed away and ran his fingers through his hair as if he didn't want her to keep seeing the crippled state that he never recovered from. "I'm going to look for her in America…After I finish my business in London. But I don't know…I don't know if I'll ever find her...I haven't known for a while." Her hand reached halfway towards him and stopped, hesitating.

"I…Hope you find her," was all she could say, retracting her arm back.

After Takuma left, Yuki sat on the couch in the family room, a glass of wine in her hand. She stared at the glass, twirling it back and forth, watching the red liquid splash around.

"Are you alright?" asked Kaname, walking over to the fireplace with half his face concealed in shadows and the other illuminated by the flames. "You look like something's bothering you."

"Did we really do the right thing…Not telling Takuma?" she asked, doubtful of herself. He took a seat beside her.

"You mean about Yoka? She chose to do it."

"But it wasn't what she really _wanted_…And it's not what _he_ would've wanted." She looked up at him, so perturbed of what should or shouldn't be done. "For these past few years, he's been trying to keep that smile in front of all of us. But you and I both know that he's not happy at all. We all got our happy endings. Why can't they?" She gazed straight into the crackling fire. "It's not fair…Not to him," she added, setting her glass on the side table.

"Sometimes we can't decide what ends up fairly and what doesn't," he said, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"No…But we can choose between what works and what doesn't. And right now, this isn't working. It hasn't been for five years." She instantly got up, walking away.

"What are you going to do?" he asked over his shoulder.

"I'm going to do something that works."

xxx

[6 years ago at Cross Academy]

[Flashback]

_Yoka looked at the Day Class uniform she was wearing. _

_"Do all the girls have to wear such short skirts? Isn't this like breaking dress code or something?" she thought to herself, trying to pull it down a bit._

"_Yoshika," called the secretary, Mrs. Sophie. "The chairman will see you now."_ _She entered the office. The blond-haired chairman sat snuggly in the large armchair behind his desk. He stood up and happily reached his hand out to her. _

_"Welcome to Cross Academy, Yoshika Hananzo. I'm Chairman Cross."_

"_Thank you, sir. But you can just call me Yoka," she responded, shaking his hand._

"_Yoka, please have a seat," he then said, his smile growing even bigger. "Have you gotten your textbooks?"_

"_Yes, I have and my schedule."_

"_Wonderful!"_ _The door then opened, and Yuki and Zero entered the room._

_She immediately walked over to Yoka and introduced, "Hi there, you must be Yoshika-san!"_

"_You can just call me Yoka. It's nice to meet you," the newcomer responded, glancing at Zero, who__ continued to glower at her._

"_Oh right! This is Zero," Yuki added giving him a hard nudge._

"_Hi," he said apathetically, looking elsewhere._

"_Yuki and Zero are the school prefects. They'll show you around today," said the Chairman._

"_Just leave it to us," Yuki added with excitement._

"_But before you three run off, I still need to inform Yoka of certain rules that our school has," Chairman Cross mentioned. "Yoka, you do understand that the school is attended by two classes: the Day Class and the Night Class?"_

"_Yes," she replied, nodding her head._

"_After day classes are over, you are required to immediately return to your dorm. Wandering around during evening hours is strictly forbidden. Is that clear?"_ _She nodded again._ "_And also, the Moon Dorm is off limits to day class students and vice versa. Lastly, no going off campus, unless authorized. Understood?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Excellent! I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay at Cross Academy then." _

_xxx_

"_You'll be rooming with me at the Chairman's place, since the Sun Dorm is practically overfilled," said Yuki, as the three of them walked down the hallway. "Once space opens up there, you can move in!"_

"_Why is the chairman so strict with the two classes being separated?" Yoka suddenly asked with much curiosity._

"_Cuz the Night Class is filled with freaks," Zero replied under his breath._

"_Zero, don't say that!" Yuki glared and then turned to Yoka. "The Night Class is an elite group of students. They're a little…different than the rest of us, that's all," she relayed to her with a silly grin. __Yoka just smiled back and nodded in understanding._

[End of flashback]

[Yoka's POV]

_My first day of school…I remember that day so clearly in my mind. It was not everyday that someone from a low-class family attended a top private school, not to mention an expensive one. _"The Night Class students are a little 'different'," I said to myself, sitting under the maple tree. That was what Yuki said several months ago. I smirked at the thought. "Different? More like 'rich'." _I've seen them before. Just like any other new girl here, I was overcome with curiosity of the mysterious Night Class during my first day…And I knew I wouldn't get along with any of them from the moment I saw those 'perfect' Twilight hairdos and those arrogant long strides they took as they walked onto campus. I won't doubt the fact that they all look ridiculously gorgeous. But they're egos are the size of Napolean's! That may sound a little harsh. But I can't help it. The Night Class and their showering wealth just doesn't appeal to me at all. And it never will!_

I looked down at my watch. _Class is over. I better go find Yuki then._ The Day Class students were already gathering around the gate of the Moon Dormitory. I shook my head as I stood up. _This happens everyday! Are those idiots really worth screaming for? _I walked down the path towards the crowd of hyperactive students, seeing Yuki and Zero at the front, trying to maintain order.

"Yoka!" I turned around and saw Yori standing next to me.

"Hey," I greeted.

"I thought you didn't like staying for the class exchanges," she commented.

"Neither do you," I replied back. "I'm just making sure that Yuki gets back right after this."

"Oh, but I thought she usually patrolled at night."

"She promised me that she'd take tonight off, after sleeping in and missing half her classes yesterday, remember?" She chuckled to herself. It wasn't the first time that Yuki overslept. _Being a prefect must be really tiring, I guess._ I turned my head in the direction of the doors when the Day Class screams escalated. The two, giant oak doors opened, and the Night Class finally waltzed out. As usual, Aido - the most _annoying_ one of them all - was at the front. _He always acts so stupid with his flirtatious gunshot pointing and playboy acts! _Then there was Kain, Souen, Shiki and Touya, walking behind him, and Kuran following after. The five of them looked like they've never been _hugged_ when they were young, with their stoic appearances. _Don't they know that it's healthy to smile occasionally? _And then Ichijo, always the smiling one. _This guy seriously has problems! He's always so happy-go-lucky! It's SO weird! Did he get hugged too much as a kid?_

[Ichijo's POV]

The crowd was just as loud as always. It was difficult to refrain from laughing whenever I saw some random Day Class girl yell out my name and then get tackled by Yuki. All this fuss over our class felt flattering, and yet…empty.

"Aido, that's enough!" shouted Yuki from a distance.

_Looks like Hanabusa's in trouble again. No surprise there._

"Can't I just have a little fun?" he pleaded with the prefect.

"Come on, Hanabusa. Let's not give her more problems than she already has to handle," I said to him, directing him away with my hand on his shoulder. And at that moment, from the corner of my eye, I saw her! She was standing next to Yuki's friend, Sayori. I turned my head to get a better look. _Yoshika Hananzo, that's her name. _She was a new student of the Day Class and was one of the _very_ few that didn't fall head over heels for any of us. _She doesn't seem like an antisocial, neither is she a boy. How strange of a woman…_It didn't take long for her to catch me staring at her. Her blue eyes rolled at me in irritation, and she then flicked her black hair and turned in the other direction. "What the- What kind of response was that? I've never gotten a reaction from someone like that before!" I thought to myself, a bit intrigued. _This human…She's so different. How interesting…_ I had only seen her once or twice these past few months. She rarely came to class turnovers. And when she did, she never seemed interested, like it was a chore to be there.

"You okay?" Hanabusa asked, raising one of his golden eyebrows at me.

"…Fine." I answered, giving a quick glance the other way, but she was already gone.

"Let's go. The others are already heading to class," he said, giving me pat on the arm.

"Yeah," I responded and walked with him to the classrooms.

xxx

I stood by the window in class, looking out at the Sun Dorm a great distance away with a few lights shining out from its tiny windows.

"Something on your mind?" I turned around and saw Ruka standing next to me.

I smiled and answered, "No, just admiring the view."

"You've been zoning out quite a bit during classes today. Not to mention during the turnover as well," Hanabusa put in, walking over to us. Several of the others also seemed interested.

"Oh? Is that so?" she continued, sitting on the desk in front of us. "Then obviously _something_ is on your mind." I didn't respond but kept smiling to myself.

"Leave the man alone, Ruka," Senri interrupted, breaking the piece of Poky already in his mouth.

"Well surely, _you_ would know, Senri. You're his roommate after all," she said to him. Before they could say another word, the door swung open and the professor entered the classroom.

"No more talking, buttocks in the chairs, feet off the tables, and food away. Class has started," the teacher announced, turning his back to the class as he scribbled on the chalkboard. I took my seat next to Hanabusa and rested my chin in my hand. Thoughts of that girl continued to swamp me just like it did during the previous periods. I remembered the first time I met her. Well…Not officially though.

[Flashback]

_It was evening, and Night classes had begun. I was in one of my free periods and decided to go to the library to see if the school finally decided to stock up on manga after countless of suggestions from me. I doubted it though. Once I entered in, there was a girl sitting on one of the couches, reading an old black book. It was a Day Class student still dressed in her uniform. She must had been new for I didn't recognize her. But then again, I was never very good with faces._

"_Excuse me, miss," I called to her._ _She immediately jerked her head up at me. Her crystal blue eyes widened with anxiety. Then she glanced at her watch. _

_"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, her eyes getting even bigger. "It's way past curfew! Yuki's gonna kill me!"_ _Not even letting me finish, she scrambled her stuff together and darted towards the exit, unintentionally bumping into me and stepping on my foot._

"_Excuse me," she simply said, unlike the usual long and sincere apologies that I usually received from normal girls._ _Right when she reached the doors, she looked over her shoulder at me, still at the same spot. _

"_You know, you should really watch where you're standing next time," she suggested nonchalantly and then turned back around and left. I stood there, staring at the direction where she disappeared off into, and I couldn't help but smirk. Most of my kind would've felt insulted by such a remark from a human. However, I found her entire behavior during those two minutes very entertaining. Not even Yuki Cross would do something like that._

[End of Flashback]

After class, I made my way to the library, wanting to look for the book that she was reading when I first saw her. I walked over to the shelves and began scanning them.

"Black, hardcover with a bit of age to it," I muttered to myself as I searched. After running my finger over every title on the shelves, I still had no luck. I scratched the back of my head as I looked from the bottom-up in another section. Then, I spotted a book shoved all way to the inside of the middle shelf, partly concealed. I pulled it out and was glad to see that it matched my description. "_Dracula_ By: Bram Stoker. So…Vampires, huh…?" I said quietly, much amused as I slid the book back in its original spot. My interests instantly heightened, and I could no longer ignore the curiosity that dwelled in me. _That's it…I'm going to meet her._

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**Thanks for reading [again, lol].**


	2. First Impressions

**Updated chapter 1 as well! **

**The skirmish between the girls more towards the end was what received the biggest alteration. Everything else was just some changes in dialogue, character interactions, and revisions. Thanks for reading!**

**I don't own VK.**

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The Night Class gathered in front of the wooden doors, waiting for it to be opened. They could already hear the yelling and screaming that awaited them on the other side, inflating their pride even more.

"Alright, it's opening!" they heard Yuki shout. "Zero, get over here and help!" The doors opened and the class began moving. Ichijo immediately began to glance over all the girls present.

"She's not here," he said to himself, a little disappointed. He could hear Yuki's tiny voice hollering nearby and turned over to glimpse at her. "Well, she is human. Yuki must know where she is." He approached the prefect, who was blocking several girls from lunging after Aido. Yuki looked up at him after he lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

"Ichijo-sempai!" she said, suddenly losing her balance and the group of girls collapsing onto her. He quickly helped the other students. Their eyes throbbed with hearts, and stars flooded their minds from his touch, almost feeling impossible for their legs to hold them together. Brushing aside the attention he was receiving, Ichijo reached his hand out to Yuki.

"I'm sorry about that," he apologized.

"Oh, I'm fine," she replied, taking his hand and getting up. She wiped her skirt and then the sleeves of her jacket. "Can I help you with something?"

"Do you know where Yoshika-san is?" he asked.

"Oh, Yoka…?" She gave him a suspicious look.

"Yo-ka…Yes…" he slowly uttered in response.

"I don't know. She usually just goes back to her room after classes. If not…Maybe she's at the maple tree. She does like to go there during her last period." He thanked her, feeling a wave of satisfaction and excitement stir. She was about to inquire about his peculiar question but instead shouted over him, "Hey! No asking about blood types, Aido!" Then she ran off, resuming in her prefect duties.

Without further delay, Ichijo made his way towards the so-called 'maple tree' where his target was presumably located. It wasn't that hard to find, considering it was the only maple tree on campus. Getting closer, he was able to make out someone sitting on the grass, leaning against the trunk of the tree and shaded by its branches and leaves. There was no doubt it was her. He casually yet carefully walked over to her as she continued reading her book, completely oblivious of his presence.

"Isn't it past curfew for you?" he began, getting one of his gorgeous smiles ready for her when she looked up.

[Yoka's POV]

"I know," I replied indifferently, not surprised by the abrupt presence and continued to peruse the current page I was on. "This isn't near the classrooms, so technically, I'm not breaking the rules," I continued, still more interested in the plain black words than what sounded like a charming yet idiotic young man. He didn't challenge my statement. This area was halfway between the classrooms and the dorms that in some queer way, I was right. From the corner of my eye, I noticed that he was still standing there, scrutinizing me. Feeling the discomfort creep onto me, I shut my book and finally looked up at him, a little startled to see that it was someone from the Night Class. It was the first time I saw one of them this close and actually _looked_ at what and who I was seeing. He had blonde hair ─ several shades lighter than Aido's ─ and beautiful green eyes. Unlike many of the other students, he actually wore his uniform properly: shirt tucked in, tie tied, and buttons buttoned. _Impressive…He actually looks kinda– _I blinked twice, snapping myself from being fooled by such an illusion. _Strange how this is my first time eyeing a Night Class student from head to toe._ "I uh…I'm sorry, but was there something else that you're here for, or did you just come for the sake of telling me that I'm breaking curfew?" I bluntly asked.

"Actually, yes, there is something else that I want to say," he began. "My name's Takuma Ichijo." He gave a polite bow.

"Yeah, I know who you are," I replied. He seemed rather delighted from my response. "I'm not deaf. I hear those girls bark that name like dogs on heat." The delight disappeared.

"I understand you're new here. May I ask what you're name is?" he continued, disregarding her last comment and reaching his hand out to her.

"Yoshika Hananzo." I took his hand and stood up. Wiping any grass off my skirt, I then added, "But just call me─"

"Yoka," he put in.

"…Right…" I responded eyeing him suspiciously. I brought my book to my side and placed my hand on my waist. "So…You know my name, but you still asked me for it…" My eyes didn't leave him for one second. _Is this creep stalking me?_

"Well…That's usually the first question two strangers ask one another when they meet for the first time, is it not?"

"Not really. If you were a complete stranger, I wouldn't even _look_ at you, let alone talk to you."

"Are you saying I'm no stranger then?" he quipped. For the first time in so long, I didn't know what to retort back.

"Listen," I began, sounding a bit annoyed. "I know you're not here to get my name, since you obviously already know it. So why are you here?" I crossed my arms, staring back at him for either an answer or a chance to hurt him.

"You really want to know?" He stepped a little closer to me, which I didn't fancy too much.

"Why would I ask if I didn't?" I responded, trying not to lose my footing.

He was still smiling kindly and then replied, "Seeing that I haven't seen you around before, being a new student, I thought that it was only appropriate for me to introduce myself, since I am vice-president of the Night Class."

"I see." _So he really thinks his existence is that notable? Get over yourself! _I continued to eye him cautiously. "Well, VP or not, it's creepy when a scrawny giant suddenly pops out of nowhere."

[Ichijo's POV]

_Did she just call me scrawny…? And giant?_

"My apologies," I then said with a nervous laugh. _Nice going, Takuma. _"In that case, can I make it up to you somehow?" She shot a startled look at me, almost as if she was offended.

"This is some _sly_ way of asking me out, isn't it?"

"Oh! No!" I quickly said, beginning to panic. "I didn't mean it like that! It's just-I mean I was trying to be nice and-"

She glanced down at her watch, forgetting the awkwardness ever happened, and she interrupted, "It's getting late. I needa' head back now." She grabbed her bag and was about to walk off.

"It was nice to meet you, Yoka-san. Good…Night," I responded as composed as I could.

"Yeah," she simply waved, walking away. It didn't take long for her to stop. She turned around, and I grinned back, expecting a change of heart and further conversation. But instead she said, "Could you stop smiling now? It's creeping me out."

"I'm sorry," I apologized, trying to stop smiling to not further freak her out, yet smiling for courtesy. "I'll keep that in mind next time."

She raised an eyebrow and gave me a skeptical look, but she didn't say anything and walked away. I took a deep breath, my body feeling exhausted from all the jitters and tension that built up while talking to her. _Well that was…hard! I was kind of scared of not knowing what to say to her from all her quick remarks. I've never stumbled with words so much in front of a girl before. And I've certainly never intentionally asked one out either!_ Though I felt all this bashfulness as I spoke to her, I liked it. It was completely different to how I usually felt towards anyone. In just a matter of minutes, I felt doubtful, embarrassed, humbled…and challenged. I slipped my hands into my pockets, making my way to class.

"A challenge…" I mumbled to myself with a grin. "I accept."

xxx

Hanabusa turned to Takuma from staring at the ceiling. He watched him, appearing dazed as he scribbled on a piece of paper.

"Takuma, what are you working so hard over?" he then said, peeking over his friend's shoulder. "Ha! What's this?" Hanabusa swiped the paper from under his friend's hand, snapping him out of his daydream. "What're you drawing?" he asked, holding the paper to the light and examining it. The others also turned to look at them, drawn by the sudden commotion.

"Come on! Quit being so childish," Takuma said, trying not to appear too jumpy.

"What is it?" Ruka asked, reaching for it. "Let me see."

"No way! I got it first," Hanabusa responded, raising it too high for her grasp. Suddenly the paper was snatched from his hand. He looked behind him and saw Akatsuki examining it.

"It's just the top half of a face. Seems kind of eerie," Kain informed not too interested. He handed it to Ruka.

"Oh my! So who is it that you're drawing?" she asked facetiously, walking towards Takuma, who remained unshaken. "It looks to me like it's a _girl_'," she added with even more glee.

"She's actually showing a fun side to herself," Senri remarked to the side. She scoffed at him before turning her attention back to Takuma.

"You guys love playing these guessing games, don't you?" he said with a smirk.

"So…Who is it?" Rima asked, looking up at him from the drawing.

"Nobody," he replied with one of his innocent smiles. "It's just a doodle."

"It doesn't look like anyone in our class," Aido analyzed.

"Her eyes…Seem light colored," suggested Ruka, putting the paper on the desk. Kaname approached to take a look. Takuma stiffened a little while the others waited for his response.

"Nice sketch. Practicing for your grandfather's art exhibit?" he commented.

Takuma relaxed his shoulders and responded with relief, "Yeah…" Their leader said nothing more and returned back to his seat to continue reading his book. The dead end conversation caused the others to disperse, reverting back to their normal activities. Rima rested her elbows on Takuma's desk, her chin cupped in her hands, still looking at the drawing. Her pigtails swung back and forth as she tilted her head at different angles.

"Art exhibits are one of the few things your family isn't involved in," she remarked. An impressed smile showed on his face. "So…What color are her eyes?" she then asked.

He continued to grin as he ran his fingers along the piece of paper, mesmerized by the gaze that the dark led portrayed and answered, "They're blue."

xxx

[Yoka's POV]

I stared at myself in the mirror as I brushed my teeth, with thoughts from tonight constantly resurfacing in me. _Ichijo…He was really different than what I expected. He was…nice. He wasn't arrogant or egotistical. But instead, polite. Speaking of polite…_ I spat the water and foam into the sink, realizing my ignorance tonight. "Oh my god! I was a complete jerk to him!" I began to remember the snarky comments I made and my frustrated tone of voice. "Why am I such a mean person?" Walking into my room, I noticed that Yuki wasn't back yet. I laid down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. _I was so judgmental of his class that I didn't even give him a chance. I guess it's because I always think people are out to get me one way or the other, especially men of his status – liars, swindlers, cheaters, the whole bunch…They remind me of people and times that I just want to forget – people like my father…But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are genuinely nice men out there…And I took his kindness and threw back at him. _I turned to my side, hugging my pillow, the coldness of the soft sheets cooling my warm body. _I should apologize-No! Why should I? I probably won't ever see him again…But what if I do? Wouldn't it be even more weird? Well…I could…Go see him during the turnover tomorrow…Unless I get trampled by his fans before he even comes out!_ Thinking about him a little more, I slowly drifted to sleep.

xxx

Yoka and Yuki walked down the hallway after class, making their way outside. Yuki put on her armband, proudly displaying the prefect symbol.

"You going back?" she asked.

"I think I'll stick around a little bit," Yoka answered.

"But you hate watching the students obsess over the other class."

"True, but it's quite amusing sometimes," she replied, with a grin. "Just like watching you turn red like a tomato whenever Kuran says 'hi' to you."

"What? I don't turn red!" Yuki spluttered, her cheeks flushing dark pink.

"You're doing it right now," Yoka pointed, laughing even harder. They teased one another as they neared the gate. Yoka found a cool spot by a group of girls, standing under a tree. The area seemed the least likely to get toppled over by hormone driven females.

Takuma looked up as the doors creaked open, the screams disrupting his pondering of whether visiting the maple tree this evening was appropriate. He watched as his friends walked down the path, each displaying their own different behaviors. Kaname ignored all the girls, only paying attention to one ─ Yuki. Akatsuki, while acting cool to his fans, kept an eye out on Ruka, who was glaring at the students waving at their president. Then there were the two models ─ Senri and Rima ─ staying casual and apathetic to their surroundings with some sort of snack in hand. The most excited one was always Hanabusa, ostentatiously flirting with the teenagers. As he peered among the group of girls calling to him, Takuma took note of the lone girl, standing behind them. To his surprise, it was Yoka. He caught her eye and expected her to ignore him or flick her hair like last time. Instead, an elegant and sweet smile formed on her face and she sent a small wave in his direction. He froze on the spot, taken aback by the sudden alteration of her behavior. The once cold and cynical vibe she gave off was substituted with warmth and tenderness.

"She's…smiling," he uttered. It was the first time he saw her lips curl up at the corners rather than remain flat or frown. He subconsciously drew towards her, preparing a greeting when a girl abruptly came between them.

"Back off, new girl! Ichijo-sempai is mine," the student warned.

"Really?" Yoka retorted back. Her kindness swiftly vanished, leaving behind a menacing glare. "I don't see your name _branded_ on his ass." The girl returned the ghastly stare, the sound of her teeth grinding together as she clenched them tighter. Takuma hastily came in, trying to smile but unable to restrain the slight distress in him from showing.

"Now, now, ladies," he quickly spoke, putting on an innocent smile. "Let's just calm down and go back to our usual routine, okay?" For some reason, rather than aid in the matter, his words seemed to provoke it, making the two girls scowl at each other even harder.

"He's right," the other student began, crossing her arms and not lifting her eyes from Yoka.

"Thank you," Takuma said with much relief.

And she continued, "Why don't you go back to your routine of being an orphan!"

"WHAT? NO!" Takuma blurted out with sweat beginning to drip from his forehead. "NoNoNoN-"

"_What_ did you just say?" Yoka severely asked back, her blue eyes lighting up like flames. Her hands formed into fists, and Takuma stepped in front of her before she could proceed forward.

"She didn't mean that!" he told her.

"Of course she did," she replied, her eyes locked on to the girl who was grinning to herself from her remark and pleased by all the support and comments her comrades made to her. "You might wanna' move, Takuma," Yoka then suggested to him. He gave her a confused look, and without a warning she pushed him aside and lunged after the still distracted girl and yelled out, "CUZ I'M GONNA' RIP YOUR HAIR OUT, YOU BITCH!" She crashed her onto the ground, seizing her by the hair. Students immediately encircled them, some cheering for the fight while others gasped in horror. Fists were thrown at each other along with kicks in the air and scratching, even biting became a resourceful means of attack. Yoka punched the girl in the nose, gushing a few drops of blood out before she was forced off.

"Oh no…" Takuma said under his breath, the tempting scent of the girl's blood filling his lungs as he inhaled. He could feel his hunger twitch inside him, but it was more than manageable. The blood tablets taken in the past hour were doing their job. It wasn't himself that he was worried about, but the others. The screams and cheers from the crowd overwhelmed his eardrums, but focusing harder enabled him to suppress their jeers and pick up voices from outside the mass. Indeed his other classmates had also noticed the scent, but he could hear Kaname's voice directing them away.

"Takuma?" a familiar voice broke in. He glanced up to see Hanabusa staring at him, shocked.

"Grab her!" Takuma shouted back at him, sighting the enraged girl scramble up onto her feet, readying herself to charge forth again. He spun around, seeing Yoka, dash towards her. In a single motion he seized her in his arms, lifting her from the ground. She squirmed in his hold, flinging her arms at the other girl also trying to reach her from under Hanabusa's restraint. "That's enough, Yoka," Takuma said to her, but she still tried to jump out.

"Ow!" he heard from Hanabusa when the girl smacked him in the face to climb out of his arms.

"Yoka!...Ichijo-sempai?" Yuki cried out, finally managing to squeeze her way through the crowd. "You two have to stop! Fighting is unacceptable!"

"THAT TWAT STARTED IT!" Yoka shouted, pointing at her, still unceasing in her attempts to break free.

"WHY DON'T YOU CRY HOME TO YOUR MOMMY! OH, WAIT! YOU DON'T HAVE ONE!" the other screeched back.

"Hey, my shoes!" Hanabusa loosened his hold, distracted by the scruff mark from the girl stepping on him. She came after Yoka, her fist ready but came to an immediate halt once Kaname stepped in front of her. She fell backwards, landing on her butt.

"That's enough," he said in solemn voice, his dark eyes cold as winter. She stared back at him, frightened speechless, and obediently nodded.

Takuma felt Yoka take in a breath, about to thrash the girl in some way, but he tightened his hold on her, and quietly but firmly said, "Enough." He felt her exhale and remain quiet. Trying to not catch his attention, she gave a quick glance up at him, seeing a rather stoic expression that she never imagined would exist on him.

Zero smacked the guy blocking his way and bellowed out, "EVERYBODY BACK TO THEIR DORM! AND YOU GUYS!" The students immediately dispersed with only the group of them remaining. "What the FUCK happened?" he demanded, furiously.

"Everything's settled, and you _finally_ decided to show up! Where were you?" complained Yuki.

"There's no need to cause such a commotion, Kiryu," Kaname told him.

"_Commotion_? These two over here just threw a _goddamn_ chicken fight! And some of your classmates got out of 'hand'!"

"I'm well aware of that, but if you haven't noticed, they're perfectly under control and already in class. If I may say so, you're the one that's getting a bit out of hand at the moment." Zero threw a nasty look that hardly caused any intimidation in him. Kaname then turned to the nobles. "Takuma. Hanabusa. I'm sure Yuki and Kiryu will be able to handle it from here. _We_ have class to attend."

"I understand, Kaname," Takuma responded respectfully. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to bring these girls to the clinic myself. It was because of me that things turned out the way they did."

"YOU KIDDING ME?" Zero broke in with obvious disagreement.

"Fine," Kaname said, keeping a stern eye on Takuma and Yoka. "Get to class when you're done."

"Zero, let's go!" Yuki ordered, yanking him by his jacket.

"You're just gonna' let him take them?"

"You two can come along if you want. Someone will need to escort them back to their dorm when they're done," Takuma offered. The cranky prefect mumbled to himself, shoving his hands into his pockets as he followed them towards the nurse's office.

Yoka and Zero waited by the exit as Takuma and Yoka were seated on the chairs right outside the clinic, waiting for the nurse to finish patching up the other student. She glimpsed over at him sitting beside her, loosening his tie. Other than his uniform appearing a little ruffled up, he seemed to be unscathed. The opposite could be said of her. She looked at herself, seeing her red ribbon missing from around her collar, her shirt pulled out from her skirt, and her jacket beginning to rip at the shoulder. She winced a little from the stinging pain of the scratch on her cheek and the scrapes on her knuckles.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. She shyly nodded, avoiding his gaze.

"I'm sorry," she said to him in a soft voice.

"It's alright." He gave her a comforting smile. "It really wasn't your fault. The other girl shouldn't have said those things."

"It's not that," she corrected, glancing at him. "It's about the other day." His eyebrows perched up, surprised by her unexpected apology. "I was…Rude," she continued. "And I'm sorry about that. And also…Thank you for today." She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a little fuzzy inside from all the kind words she was expressing. "If you hadn't stepped in, things probably would've been a lot worse."

"You're welcome," he sincerely responded. A little grin came along his face, and he added, "Besides I didn't want any of my admirers to go to the hospital."

"_Admirer_? How much manga _do _you read?" Yoka quickly said, reverting back to her usual frank manner of speaking. "_She's_ the one that's obsessed with you!" She pointed at the student in the room. "I'm just an innocent student!"

"'Innocent' student?" he repeated.

"Yes! Innocent! I was just minding my own business when I saw a man looking at me! And the 'proper' thing to do when someone's looking at you would be to wave! So I did! Unfortunately, insane woman in there found that threatening and decided to be deriding and say mean things to me!" He laughed to himself, trying to maintain his composure. Her defensive behavior brought out the childish nature in her rather than support the mature self she inferred to.

"Hey! That's not funny!" Yoka remarked, trying not to grin herself.

"It actually is," he replied, not hiding it anymore. She couldn't help but admire him at the moment. His ruffled up blonde hair looked perfect and his green eyes matched so well with his slightly pale skin. Seeing him smile all the time was creepy at first, but noticing it now, she realized that his beam was indescribably stunning, like it was a smile of his own.

Their laughing immediately silenced when the door opened and the girl walked out, all bandaged up. It was undeniable that she overheard their chattering.

"I'm an idol fan now," she snapped and dismissed herself from their presence.

"As much as I don't like her…I'm sorry to have driven her off of your fans list," Yoka admitted.

"That's alright," he replied. "You took her place."

"Me?" she laughed to herself. "Please! Don't flatter yourself."

"I don't see how I'm wrong. You came to the turnover and apparently knew enough about me to know that I like manga."

"Psh! I only knew that because I overheard the _crazies_ mention it…And a few other things. Surprisingly, I learned quite a bit about you from just standing by that tree," she justified as she stood up from her chair.

"Really?" he commented with amusement, standing up with her. "Well then, would you give me the pleasure of learning more about you?" She was surprised by such a question that she was unable to immediately respond. But the earnestness in his words were inescapable.

"I…don't know…" she trailed off, walking halfway inside. She felt her face begin to blush. "…We'll see…" She gave him a playful grin and then closed the door behind her.

* * *

**For those reading for the first time, how was it? :D**

**And for those who read the original, I hope it was better ^^**

**Please review! **


	3. Unexpected Lunch Guest

**Some rather major changes were made with character interactions and dialogue from the original chapter, but the main courses of events are vaguely the same.**

**Please review if you can, and I hope you enjoy it.**

**I don't own VK.**

* * *

Takuma entered second period, taking the empty seat by the window. Akatsuki went over and leaned against the window pane.

"Glad to see you in one piece," he said in a monotone.

"I was surprised to see those girls fight over you. Usually it's Hanabusa's fans that are the crazy ones," Rima brought up, sitting on the desk opposite of him.

"It was…_intriguing_," Takuma responded with a bit of amusement as he thought about his conversation moments ago at the clinic.

"You stole my spotlight this evening," Hanabusa accused with a harmless grin. He crossed his arms and stood in front of him.

Takuma smirked, "So it was jealousy that drove you into the crowd rather than concern. Surprised you were even willing to help."

"More like curiosity," Hanabusa stated. "Tell me…Which one of the two would you have picked?"

"Oh, this is going to be good…" Ruka observed under her breath, moving a seat closer.

Takuma grinned, shaking his head and replying, "I'm not like that."

"All men are like that…Even vampires." Hanabusa looked off to the side, flicking away a little dirt on his finger as he continued, "But I guess it would be hard to decide, since we don't know what the other one is." Takuma turned to face him, getting an unsettling feeling from the meaning behind his words.

"Is…?" he repeated, perplexed.

"Her blood type," Hanabusa clarified. "The brunette, hers was type B. I could _smell_ it. Too bad we weren't able to get a sniff of the other. I bet hers would've smelt just as tantaliz-" Takuma seized him by his tie, yanking him down to his eye level. His movements were so fast that it made those around him jump.

"Don't let your temptations talk for you," Takuma advised. The repugnance lingering between each word contrasted with the innocent smile he portrayed. The flamboyant blonde remained quiet, staring back at his friend and completely caught off guard by his impulsive reaction. "Be careful, Hanabusa," he warned with his cheerful visage still in place. "You've already slipped up on multiple occasions." He let him go and got up. "Excuse me. I forgot to return a book to the library," he told them, taking the steps down to the bottom of the classroom.

The others turned to Hanabusa, still a little shaken, once the door closed.

"I wasn't…Expecting that. Did I say something wrong?" he said, staring at the exit.

"Don't think took much of it," Akatsuki put in, giving him a hard pat on the head, further messing up his hair. "Takuma's just more of a pacifist along Cross' line. He is vice president of our class for a reason."

[Ichijo's POV]

_Kinda' overreacted back there. _I leaned against the wall in the hall, looking out the window at the black sky. _But I hate it when he talks like that._

"Didn't you say you were heading to the library?" I heard, turning over to see Kaname coming towards me. "Not like you to be skipping class." He stopped by the window, his back also against the wall.

"Not much of a class, wouldn't you say," I responded, and he didn't disagree. _I must've really overreacted if he's here. _

"How are the girls?" he then asked with no hesitation of changing the subject.

"All bandaged up and on house arrest," I joked, slapping on a happy smile to not further hint any unsettling emotions of mine.

"Things could've gotten chaotic, especially with just that drop of blood," he continued, looking down the empty corridor.

"Yeah," I uttered, scratching behind my ear. "But that's why you're here…To watch out for all of us."

"You're right about that. I gathered every noble I could here…So it's only my responsibility to keep an eye on all of them…Including you." I didn't directly turn to him, but my eyes wandered in his direction. "Maybe I'm making assumptions. Maybe I'm not. But I have a question for you." I looked to him, not cowering away.

"No offense, Kaname. But why make assumptions if you can just force me to tell you?"

"Because you're my friend. And as a friend, I hope that you'd _choose_ to tell me the truth rather than have me _make_ you." I glanced down at the wooden floor, grinning to myself, somewhat touched by his response.

"Well…What is it?" _I think I already know what it is._

"Are you taking a liking towards a girl in the Day Class?"

_I'm right. _"I had a feeling you'd ask after the mess from today," I responded, almost chuckling to myself.

"I'm serious, Takuma," he added. I never quivered from his stern looks, and it was no different this time. I greatly respected him just like everyone else. But unlike everyone else, I didn't fear him.

"No," I truthfully told him, not letting my lax composure slip. "It's not a liking…Just pure curiosity." Not a muscle on his face twitched. He hardly even blinked in response.

"Good," he then said, pushing his hair back. With no warning, his grave gaze instantly locked onto mine, not giving me a second to stray away, and he finished, "Keep it that way."

xxx

I sat at my desk with my chin in my hand as I drowsily watched the professor continue to drone on. I glanced to my left, seeing that the outside was still cloaked in darkness. Then I looked to my right and noticed Rima occupying the empty seat that was next to me.

"When did you-" She shushed me before I could finish, pointing at me and then at the teacher as if gesturing me to pay attention to the lecture.

"She had blue eyes," she whispered to me. "The girl with the black hair, punching the other one. Your drawing…It was her, wasn't it?"

_At times it amazes me…How someone can look so apathetic, and yet, around the right people…They immediately show another side of them. Rima…She's one of those types. Though we've only met since attending Cross, I've grown close to her through Senri. And out of all of them, I feel like somehow, only she can read me as clear as day. _

xxx

[Yoka's POV]

I sat under the maple tree, shaded by its branching leaves with a book in my hand and a bento beside me. Sometimes, the cafeteria felt too stuffy and noisy. I enjoyed the fresh air and the quiet atmosphere, the peace and calm providing a sense of security for me. I smoothed the page of my book with my hand, wrapped with bandages.

_I guess…I overdid it yesterday. Serves her right though! She should know better than to bully others! Bitch..._

"Good afternoon, Yoka," a familiar voice said out of nowhere. I felt my body jump out of my skin, and I spun around to see who it was. Ichijo stood a few meters away in his normal chirpy demeanor.

"You scared me! Oh my god!" I said, resting my hand on top of my racing heart. _Dammit!_ _What did I tell this guy about popping out of nowhere all of a sudden? _

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," he apologized, coming over. ""Are you feeling better?"

"Um…You do know that you're not allowed on campus at this time, right?" I asked instead, looking oddly at him.

"I know. But this area isn't near the classrooms, so technically I'm not breaking the rules," he answered with a sly grin. I smiled to myself and felt my face begin to blush as I remembered saying the exact same thing to him just a few days ago. "Can I assume that your smile indicates a 'yes' to my question then?"

"I guess so," I answered.

"That's good to hear," he replied, taking a seat at the end of the granite bench next to me. He leaned forward a few inches, taking a closer look at my face, the air from his movements carrying the scent of his cologne towards me. "I'm surprised you healed that quickly. The bruise on your cheekbone is practically invisible now."

"Ha, don't let the makeup fool you."

"I'd never visualize you as the fighting type," he admitted, entertained by the thought.

"She started it! I never got into fights until yesterday!" I defended. "It's not as fun as people watching think it is," I also said, looking at the band-aid on my scraped knee.

"What happened when the chairman asked?"

"The usual 'who started it' question, followed by fake apologies and a reluctant handshake. Then there was our punishment…Labor work…."

"Haha! Labor work?" he chuckled with much amusement. I brought my bento up to my face, stuffing my mouth with rice to prevent me from further whining.

Once he stopped laughing, and I swallowed the enormous chunk of rice, I asked him, "You didn't just come here to laugh at me, did you?"

"No," he replied. "That was just a bonus." I made a sour face at him and continued stuffing myself. Then I heard him say as his grin spread wider on his face. "I just wanted to check up on my number one fan." My hand slapped over my mouth as I choked on my food and took up my napkin to wipe away the grains of rice that slipped onto my chin.

"I told you! I'm NOT a fan!" I shot back.

"I beg to differ," he countered without hesitation.

"Please do!" I couldn't help myself from grinning, getting a little excited to hear his reasoning, and I could see the same exhilaration lurking in his eyes.

"You got into that fight with that girl," he relayed, quite pleased with what he was saying. "Why argue back when she told you to back off if you didn't have the slightest interest in me?" My jaw locked tight, and I felt my voice box seal off.

_I…I never thought about that…_I wanted to come up with something to reply to him, but I couldn't. It was like my mouth refused to speak any words of denial, only allowing for truth.

"F-fine!" I admitted, finally able to force my mouth open. "So what if I did have a _tiny_ little interest in you? Still doesn't mean I'm the number _one_ fan." I rolled my eyes at him and stuck my chopsticks into my rice, putting it to the side.

"For you to rip off another girl's hair over a 'tiny little' interest in me is enough to bump you to first place." He flashed a pleased smile, but I still had no clever remark for him. No convincing excuses. Nothing.

"I'm sorry if I'm upsetting you," he then apologized as I rubbed my temple, frustrated and confused by my inability to defend myself. "I hope you know that I was just teasing." A sudden smirk came over me.

_Finally! I have my retort!_ "I guess the girls were right," I muttered.

"Girls? What girls? And right about what?" he asked with extreme interest, his mouth slightly ajar.

"Your fans of course. I guess I had to know _everything_ since I'm your 'number one' fan. That even your enormous ego isn't enough to compensate for your rather small 'package'." I didn't expect his face to change colors so fast, the blood rushing to his cheeks as they glowed with embarrassment. I looked at him playfully, smiling with so much glee. "I'm sorry if I'm upsetting you," I then quoted. "I was just _teasing_." His face was still burning, and he chuckled to himself.

"Nicely played," he then said. "Going straight for the heart I see."

"Well, you pulled out your trump card, and so did I," I responded, putting my bento back into my bag.

"Did…Did they really say that?" he asked, leaning back with his arms stretched out to support him with another extraordinary beam of his.

"To your relief, no," I answered. His eyes strayed to the side as he smirked to himself.

"I was wondering how they'd know, considering that I've never even dated before," he added, gazing at the carnations.

"You've…_Never_ been on a date?" I questioned, pausing myself from drinking my bottle of green tea. He smiled and shook his head with no sense of embarrassment. "But all those girls everyday…How…How is that even possible?"

"I'm just…Not intrigued by any of them," he casually answered like it was no big deal.

_The thought confounds me! Girls in my class line up for him every day, and none of them he's into? He's attractive enough to probably get any girl he wants, even someone not from our school. And yet, he's never been on a single date?_

"You look shocked," he commented.

"It's just…I've seen how you act around the girls at the turnovers and…"

"Just because I smile at them doesn't imply that I'm actually interested in them."

"So what, you flirt with our classmates with your _cute_ smiles and _kind_ words just to _toy_ with them?" I responded, becoming distraught.

"How is being courteous flirting?"

"Have you _seen_ the looks you give them?" He gave a small laugh at my response, wiping his hand over his forehead before brushing it over his blonde hair.

"You really think my smiles are cute?" he then asked me. My stomach hollowed as I felt my blood rise and show on my face while he looked back at me adorably.

"Um…W-what…?" I practically squeaked.

"You said that I flirt with my 'cute' smiles," he repeated. "You wouldn't have chosen such a word if you didn't think of it to be true…Am I right?"

_Pull yourself together!_ I reluctantly forced myself out of his charm, shoving all my sudden unexplainable emotions deep into the abyss. The warmness left me and my chest was freed from pressure. "Are…You flirting with me right now?" I then asked, looking at him peculiarly.

"What if I am?" he coolly replied in a teasing manner, leaning closer to me. Then, the side of his cheek met the palm of my hand as I slapped him across the face. He flung back, staring at me, dumbfounded by my action.

"Well then, I got three things to tell you!" I answered him, forcing my tough-girl visage back on. "One! Stop flapping your eyelashes at me like a moron!" I picked up my bag and stood up. "And two! Your flirting isn't gonna' work on me!" I turned around and started stomping away.

"What about three?" I heard him ask from behind me, and I stopped in place.

_Three…Oh right…The real answer to his question. _I turned to him, tightly clutching on to the strap of my bag. His face was a little red from where my hand had hit him, and for some reason, he had on a gentle smile. My lips curled up at the corner visible to him, and I said, "And three…To answer your question…Yes, I do think so…"

[Ichijo's POV]

She immediately ran off once she finished. I glanced down at the grass, unable to contain the wide smile that spread over my lips. _Her actions were unexpected, and her response…Unusually satisfying._ I reached my hand back up to the spot on my face where her skin briefly touched mine. When she hit me, it didn't hurt at all. _She'll have to hit MUCH harder if she wants it to hurt._ But instead, it felt electrifying. My heart was beating twice as fast, and I was already wanting to see her again. _Am…Am I falling for a human? Has my curiosity really deepened into something more…Or is it just testosterones…?_ I got up from the bench, stretching my back before noticing an object on the ground. _Her book. _Picking it up, I read the title. _European history. So this was what she was reading._

I meandered in the other direction towards the Moon Dorm with the book tucked under my arm and the sun unnaturally warm against my skin. An excitement manifested in me that temporarily suppressed the confusion that had built up from all my questioning and doubts. _Now I have an excuse to see her again._


	4. Detention

**NEW CHAPTER! Sorry it took a while. Enjoy and review if you can, thanks! :]**

**I don't own VK.**

* * *

[Ichijo's POV]

I tried to maintain a calm appearance, but it was difficult. My eagerness to see her was compelling, hardly allowing me any sleep during the day. I joined the group, approaching the gate of our dormitory.

"You gonna' go see her today?" Rima asked, removing the wrapper from her lollipop. The two of us stopped by one of the lampposts, waiting for the doors to open.

"I am," I responded, hearteningly glancing down at the books in my hand, one of them being hers.

"I don't think you should," she put in, glancing at Senri across from us.

Her remark caught me off guard. "How come?"

She gazed off apathetically into the setting sun, taking the candy out of her mouth before conveying, "The more you see her, the more you'll like her. And humans…are a _nuisance_." The doors opened and the uproar began. "That's just _my_ opinion though," she added, her round blue eyes reinforcing her thoughts as the pack moved out. Rima rarely expressed her opinion on anything or to anyone. Usually it was simply because she was too lazy to give it.

_Surprisingly, what she's saying is the exact opposite of how I'm feeling. _My kind visage today felt a bit more real than usual. But then again, I wasn't minding the crowd of girls seeking my attention; I was looking for her. After the encounter this afternoon, I was almost certain that she'd show up. But she wasn't there. _She's probably at her usual spot._

"Takuma, let's go," Akatsuki said, giving me a nudge on the arm as he walked past me.

"Yeah," I muttered, slowly following him while letting the others also pass by. I gave a quick look around once I was at the end of the group and silently slipped away in the other direction.

Walking in a rather fast pace to the maple tree, my body filled with jitters.

_What should I say? Should I give her the book first, or converse and then give it to her? Is it better if I say 'hello' or 'hi'? I should reach my hand out to her! That's how grandfather taught me how to greet young ladies. No! Considering her personality, she may find it offensive. _I stopped at a distance when I saw that there was no one under the tree. I softly scratched the side of my jaw, looking around and seeing nobody here but me_. Where is she…? Did she go back to her room?_ I wanted to search for her, but I knew that if I did, I wouldn't be able to stop until I had found her. And the longer my absence tonight, the more suspicious the others would get. I couldn't risk that. Thus, unwillingly, I walked back in the direction I came and returned to class.

xxx

[Yoka's POV]

"Chairman must think this is real funny, working me like this!" I grumbled, pushing my sleeve back up as it began to slip. I set the clean plate on the dish rack. "Punishing me to spend class time doing this and then making up classes in the afternoon!" Scrubbing the bowl one last time, I rinsed it in the running water. "I do dishes today and the other gets to rake leaves? I should report him! This is child labor!"

"You missed a spot."

"WHAT THE-!" I gave a startled jump and spun around, inadvertently throwing the bowl in the direction of the voice. Ichijo caught it in his hand without much effort before it hit his face. He stared at me quite stunned himself by my impulse.

"SORRY! Reflexes!" I apologized, tightly clutching on to my white apron. _GODDAMMIT! I FUCKING HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE SCARE ME LIKE THAT! _"But you seriously have to stop doing that!" I told him, taking the bowl back.

"I didn't mean to. You get startled too easily," he responded, tilting his head to the side and taking a glimpse at the sink filled with dishes behind me. "I assume this is your 'punishment'?"

"Unfortunately, yes." I turned around to continue with my washing but paused and faced him again like I was about to say something. He was in his uniform, missing the jacket and red tie but still wearing the white vest with the top of his black shirt unbuttoned by one or two. It felt like every time I saw him, I became more dazzled by the unexplainable charm he possessed. Whether he'd be properly dressed or not, it didn't matter.

"Is everything okay?" he asked as I stood there staring blankly at him.

"Yeah. I'm…fine. I was just thinking." I blinked several times and brushed my bangs aside, scratching behind my ear from the awkwardness of my behavior. "How'd you know I was here?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I asked Yuki," he relayed. "I couldn't find you last night."

"Last night? You were…looking for me?" I said, surprised yet oddly delighted on the inside.

"I wanted to return your book." He brought it up to me, which I had failed to notice was in his hand. "You forgot it during lunch – "

"When I slapped you in the face," I put in as I thought about what happened. "Thank you, and…Sorry about…_That_…" I apologized, performing a little slap at the air.

"You're very welcome," he responded lightheartedly. "And don't worry about it. I was being an idiot and deserved it." I was happy to hear that he hadn't taken my spontaneous actions the other day the wrong way. "So how many days are you being punished for?" he then asked.

"Just till the end of this week," I answered, going over to the counter across from the sink to set the book down. "You should get back," I suggested. "Yuki would kill you if she found out you were here." He didn't say anything, and when I looked over my shoulder, he was in front of the sink, washing the remaining dishes. "Oh no! Y-You don't have to do that!" I said, hastily running to his side.

"It's alright," he cheerfully assured with his sleeves rolled up and a clean apron already fastened around him. "There isn't that many left, and your bandages looked like they're getting a bit soaked." I looked at the pile of dirty dishes that remained from lunch today on the counter beside him and then down at the waterproof band-aids on my knuckles that were still in good condition. The same warmness I felt yesterday when I was talking to him resurfaced in my chest. I held on to my hands and quietly stood by, mesmerized as I watched.

_He's…Really kind. He's not the one being punished, and yet...But why? I don't understand why he's doing this. Is it possible…That it's because he…likes me…? No! That's not it. Why would he like a girl like me? _Then I remembered that my sleeves were still rolled up with both my arms exposed. Without him noticing, I quickly rolled them back down, buttoning them up at the ends. _C__areless girl!_

"By the way," he then spoke, adding more dish detergent. "Where were you yesterday? You didn't come to turnover."

"I was cleaning the school greenhouse." I took a towel and began drying the clean dishes.

"Greenhouse?"

I nodded and continued, "The chairman honestly didn't know what kind of punishment to give the two us. Suspension felt too drastic, and the normal in-class detention was too boring. So he just decided to have us report to different people and have _them_ give us work to do. Kind of a strange solution if you ask me. But yeah, yesterday was the gardener. Today's the cafeteria cooks, and tomorrow iiis…" I senselessly continued to clean the already dried plate, thinking for a moment. "Oh yeah! Tomorrow's the librarian, and I think it's the janitor the day after that."

"What about the other girl?"

"The same thing, just not on the same days. I can't imagine how awful it would be if I had to see her face AND work my ass off." He smiled amusingly to himself, looking down at the sink as he rinsed the silverware with water. I didn't understand why, but from just seeing him beam up like that, I began to blush. I reached for another plate and kept my eyes on it, trying to cover up the tint of enjoyment that also stirred in me.

He glanced over to me and then brought up, "I saw that you were reading European history. Is it good?"

"It is, but then again, I love reading _and_ I love history," I said, taking up another bowl to dry. "Even boring textbooks fascinate me."

"Is there a particular point in history that you prefer?" he asked, scrubbing the last silverware under the water.

"That's…hard to answer," I replied as a range of historical events flooded my brain. "But if I had to choose…It'd have to be the Romantic era." I glimpsed up at him to see his response.

"Romanticism?" he said in a surprised yet impressed voice. He picked up one of the rags and began helping me in drying the dishware. "How come?"

"There're _so_ many reasons," I explained, feeling my enthusiasm emerge. "Edgar Allen Poe, the_ Grimms' Fairy Tales_, Francisco Goya, Beethoven, the French Revolution, nationalism and Napolean…" I beamed with astonishment. "I can go on forever! It hits the world at so many places at different times! The art, the literature, so much of culture was affected! It's just-" I stopped, looking at him quietly listening to all my babbling. Then I looked down at the plate in my towel with a modest laugh. "I'm sorry for rambling on. I always get a little carried away with this stuff…" My eyes strayed away from his, feeling bashful all of a sudden.

"Don't be," he then responded. "Your tenacity is very admiring." I grinned, still trying not to make direct eye contact with him. We both reached for the same plate and flinched to let the other take it. But then he withdrew his reach, insisting for me to proceed.

"Polite even over dishes," I commented, breaking from my coyness and taking the plate.

"Well, I am known as a gentleman for a reason," he smirked.

"Compared to Aido, I can't disagree."

"Aido's…_special_," he added.

"According to Yuki, your _entire_ class is 'special'."

"Being a prefect I'd imagine she'd think that. What about you? What do you think?"

"What do_ I_ think?" I repeated, earnestly thinking for a moment. "I think…that your class is…a farce!"

"A farce?" he said, humorously intrigued rather than offended.

"That's right! I think the Night Class is just some fancy name to give to the wealthier students with families that probably just donate more to the academy! Else I don't see who would ever want to attend classes at night. The idea seems ridiculous." He laughed to himself, taking up the only fork that was left on the rack.

"In a sense, you are right," he remarked. "And I also have to admit that evening classes aren't all that fun. But there's nothing I can do."

"Can't you transfer to the Day Class if you wanted?"

"It's not as easy as you think." We carried a stack of plates to the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" I looked over at him once he helped me place the plates up where I couldn't reach. We went back to the sink counter to take another stack.

"You see," he began. "Everyone in the Night Class is here because of Kaname."

"Kuran?"

He nodded as we walked back to the cupboard and explained, "The Kurans are a _very_ ancient family. And our elders have known each other for a great deal of time, including the chairman himself, and they've all come to greatly _respect_ them. Once Cross established this school, he wanted Kaname to enroll along with the rest of us. And since he accepted the invitation, inevitably…All of us had to." By the time he finished, all the dishes and silverware were put back in place. "Sorry," he then apologized. "That was a rather vague and boring story. But I honestly don't know all the more interesting details."

"Not at all," I fervently replied. "Surprisingly, it's still intriguing to hear." I fumbled with the dish towel in my hands and then said, "So simply put, you can't swap classes because…of an obligation…?"

He grinned and then responded, "Simply put, yes."

"I guess there's more to you guys than your donations and good looks."

"For a girl that reads so much, haven't you ever heard to never judge a book by its cover?"

"That's why I'm reconsidering my first impression of you," I replied, tossing the rag in one of the bins by the door.

"And what _was_ your first impression of me?" He wiped his hands on his apron and took it off.

"That you were a bombastic, rich kid, always smiling with not a care in the world," she frankly put it. "But then again, bombastic and rich are what I pretty much think of everybody else in your class." The two of us walked out into the empty cafeteria.

"That's pretty harsh."

"Haha! Yeah, it kinda' is."

"What do you think now then? Of me that is?" he then asked. I ran into one of the tables and almost tripped from being distracted by the sudden feeling of butterflies flapping in my stomach from hearing his question. Sparks ignited from my skin when he grabbed onto my arm, preventing me from face-planting onto the ground.

"You okay?" he worriedly asked.

"Yeah!" I said, alarmed myself. My eyes glanced at his hand firmly holding on to my arm and then up at him, seeing his face turn pink when he noticed the intense change of color in me as well. He let go of me, and I quickly looked the other way with my hands on my face, feeling my cheeks on fire. _What was that? That feeling…Butterflies in my stomach? I thought it was just some stupid phrase people used in novels and movies. And yet here I am…Literally, with butterflies fluttering in me from just a little touch from him…_ I looked up and saw Ichijo kneel down and pick up my book that I had dropped. His blushing was still visible, but handed the book to me.

"Th-Thank you," I quietly said, taking it. His hand reached out for me to take, but instead, I stood up on my own. _He only touched my arm. Who knows what I'll feel if he touched my hand! _I thought the atmosphere would feel heavy and that awkwardness would drown us. But none of that happened. The only reaction he gave me was a kindhearted guise, and the only feeling I had was comfort. "I still haven't answered your question," I then said.

"From your reaction, it seems like you're still working on it." He smiled and told me, "Obviously, I haven't made a strong enough impression on you. I'll just have to work harder."

_Work harder? Why? _He opened the door of the cafeteria just a little, and a crowd of students bustled down the hall on the other side. I instinctively slammed it back shut.

"I…don't think you should go this way," I suggested. _Things would get so chaotic if anyone saw him, especially the girls!_ He gave an uneasy laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Girls in your class…are quite scary at times," he remarked. I chuckled to myself, nodding in agreement.

"There's a back door in the kitchen that you can take. I needa' go this way to get back to class though."

He understood and said to me, "I'll see you around then?"

"Yeah," I answered and watched him as he walked the other way back into the kitchen, flinging his waistcoat over him. I felt drawn to him even from looking from behind. His broad shoulders and slim frame matched remarkably well with his towering height with only his appearance from the front capable of outmatching such perfect features. When you looked into his eyes, even the sea felt incompetent of matching its depth. And that _smile_…That constant but irresistible _smile_ of his…That was what I still couldn't get over.

xxx

[Ichijo's POV]

Most of the others were already asleep by the time I made it back to my dormitory. I opened the door to my room, seeing Senri was still awake.

"Where've you been?" he asked, glimpsing up from his men's fashion magazine.

"I went to town for a little bit," I answered, tossing my jacket on the armchair near me as I began to unbutton my vest. "I went to see if the tea shop had any of that imported rose tea. Sadly, they didn't." My response was enough to cease further questioning, and I was relieved. I collapsed onto my bed, my body feeling exhausted from staying up till this hour. I brought my hands around my pillow and looked at them. They were still soft from all the soap and water. _I was afraid that my nerves would get the best of me this afternoon. But when I actually talked to her, all the anxiety dispersed. I don't know what came over me when I put that apron on and sank my hands into the water. But being around her, I feel energized, filled with an unquenchable desire to know her …Can I still call it curiosity…?_

xxx

[Yoka's POV]

The bell from the tower echoed, and I entered the hallway filled with others transitioning to their next class. I climbed up the stairs and the front doors to the library revealed themselves from a distance as I closed in.

_Today shouldn't be as bad. I'm on good terms with the librarian. Hopefully she won't be as unpleasant as the cooks were. She may not be a teacher, but just be polite!_ The librarian was seated behind the counter, scanning books from the returned pile.

"Good afternoon, Takami-sensei," I greeted.

She glanced up at me from her computer screen and returned the greeting, "Good afternoon to you too, Hananzo-san. Do you need help finding another book?"

I gave her a confused look and replied, "Um…No…I'm here as part of my detention…?"

"Detention?" A bizarre frown displayed over her. "I'm not aware of any such thing."

"But…Didn't Chairman Cross inform you? I got into a fight with a girl and…"

"Well, yes, I remember the chairman briefing me of Toudou-san coming in tomorrow for her detention, but I do not recall him ever informing me of _you_ coming in at all."

"Oh…I'm sorry then. I probably got something mixed up. Thank you." I rushed out of the library and stopped in between the stairs, holding on to the hand rail. _I didn't mix things up! I'm suppose to go to the librarian today! It's not like the chairman to play favoritism, so how come she's clueless? _I looked down at my watch, seeing that there was still some time left before next period. _Well, there's really no point in going back. Besides, why should I over-think so much? It's not my fault that there was a lack of communication between the adults. This is a pretty good thing, isn't it? I can still make it to classes now and not have to make them up later. _Convincing myself a little more, I felt at ease for skipping my punishment and headed to class.

xxx

_I lucked out of my labor duties in the library yesterday._ I adjusted the strap of my bag higher on my shoulder as I walked out of the classrooms once school was over. _Doubt that'll happen again today. _I took out the small piece of paper from the front pocket of my bag. "Chairman said to meet him at the west auditorium," I noted, folding it back up. _Auditorium…That only means one thing – mopping. Fuck…_

There were multiple school janitors on campus, especially since the school was so massive. Fortunately I was appointed to the one responsible for the west wing. I had seen him before several times, walking pass the area. He was an elderly man, hard-of-hearing but sweet. To my surprise, there was nobody there when I arrived at the designated spot.

"Maybe he's just getting the supplies," I mumbled to myself, glancing around the empty room. I turned to the windows, clearly polished with not a single stain from the rain. I took a few steps forward, and a sudden shriek came from me when I slipped over the floor. I felt the wooden ground with my hand, feeling a smooth thin layer that produced the nice shine it had and gave off a natural oak scent. _Did someone just wax the floor?_ Immediately, my attention switched to the empty room and recalled how the screech from my fall had echoed. There wasn't a single chair out. Carefully getting up, I walked over to the storage room and saw multiple stacks of chairs neatly stored inside. _Umm…If I'm suppose to be cleaning up this place…Why is everything already…Done?_ I shifted anxiously in place, waiting for the janitor to naturally arrive, yet wanting to seek him out myself to faster inquire about this odd situation. "Screw this…" I hastily made my way back into the outside hall, scouting out for the old man. It didn't take long for me to find him, since I practically ran into the poor guy as he pushed his cleaning cart out of the boys' lavatory.

"Oops! I'm sorry," he kindly apologized from behind his white mustache.

"There you are," I said. "I've been waiting in the auditorium for you!" His small eyes widened a little from my response.

"Eh, you've been waiting for me? What for?" My back stiffened, and I threw him a look of disbelief.

"For detention," I clarified. "I was suppose to stack the chairs, mop the floors, or whatever else there was!"

"I only know of _one_ student who was sent to help me for detention, and he already came this morning."

"He...? Wh-who was it?" I asked, suspiciously.

He scratched the little hair he had on his head and chuckled, "Sorry, I don't remember the boy's name, but he was one of those evening pupils. First time I ever got one of them to deal with."

"What did he look like?" I probed, already having a good idea of who it was.

"Hmmm…He had blonde hair, not long but not too short either, and was _very_ tall," he described, stretching his hand up to compare it to his own height. "A rather handsome fellow."

"Well, thank you," I said. "I probably made a mistake. Sorry to have bothered you." Then I took off down the hall in the opposite direction he was headed.

_So it was him! How is this even possible? And what about the librarian yesterday? She didn't even mention anyone. _I arrived back to the front of the classrooms on the south side. _If it was him, why did he do it? Is something not screwed on right in his head? What is he up to?_ I looked down at my hands, holding on to one another, not out of annoyance or frustration but because of how warm they were. My whole body felt warm and elated since my conversation with the janitor. No matter how much I questioned everything, tenderness cloaked me when I reflected on what I discovered and who it was. _I may not know his reasons or intentions…But his actions…Seem kind and sweet. Then again…Maybe I'm just fooling myself. In this world, it's impossible to find a man that truly has no motive._

xxx

[Ichijo's POV]

[Earlier that day]

The curtains were shut tight with only a lamp by my bedside dimly lighting the room as I stepped out of the bathroom. Senri was fast asleep amongst his pile of magazines and clothes. I came over to my bed and picked up the black shirt of my uniform that I wore today, bringing it to my face. The fabric was drenched with the smell of chlorine, and a few stains of bleach ruined the otherwise flawless black color. Tossing it aside, I sat on the edge of my bed and bent down to pick up one of my brogues. The bottom of the shoe was a little worn out and smelt of the floor wax. _I need to get a new pair._ I laid on my bed, bringing one hand under the pillow where I rested my head. My fingers ran through my hair and lightly tugged on it as I remembered. _Dammit! I forgot to erase the janitor's memory after I was done! _My eyes slowly opened again, staring at the dome of my bed. _Oh well. Mistakes happen…Especially when you can't stop thinking of someone. _I turned to my side, my hand feeling the soft cotton sheets. _At first, I just thought I'd help her out. What was the harm in doing some dishes? But when I got back, I realized that it wasn't enough. I wanted to do more. I want her to see something different in me...Something more than just a shallow fool like she thinks of the rest of my class._

_But why…Why am I working so hard over what began as some curiosity…? Why do I suddenly want her acceptance so much?_


	5. St Xocolatl's Day

**Similar to the previous chapter, this one revolves around Valentine's Day, but I completely rewrote it this time. Some parts may be similar to the first one, since this part of the story follows the same event that takes place in the manga. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it :) Please review if you have time. **

**I don't own VK.**

***St. Xocolatl's Day = Valentine's Day (Just an FYI for those that forgot or didn't know :] )**

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[Ichijo's POV]

St. Xocolatl's Day was always fun. It was the one day established just for girls to give chocolates to the boys they wished to proclaim their love to.

_Love…That's a strong word to use. From reading so much manga and novels, I have to wonder…Can a little crush among such young people really manifest into something as deep as love? I have not seen such a revelation before, and I have yet to experience it myself. But maybe today…Will surprise me._ This day was always so chaotic that the disciplinary committee even went through the trouble of setting up individual gates for the members of our class, so that the Day Class could line up in as much of an orderly fashion as possible. People always called it the "chocolate handoff" race, since each of us stood by our gate and tried to receive as many chocolates as we could from those in line. And just as expected, the commotion was even louder than usual from beyond the doors.

"The girls seem even more serious this year," Hanabusa remarked with a delighted smug. "It's going to be a good day."

_Is it? _I was usually excited for this day, getting free chocolate from a plethora of admirers. Who wouldn't like that? Yet today, my mood gravitated towards disappointment. _She didn't show up to turnovers at all last week, even when I repaired bookshelves, mopped floors, and erased minds just so she could have time to come. She still didn't. And if she didn't come then, why would she come tonight?"_

"What, not excited for sweets? That's a first," Rima said as the doors opened for the event to begin.

"I was just thinking of something. I'm fine," I responded with a smile, casting away any trace of gloom.

"Right," she sarcastically replied before heading towards her gate. Yuki scurried around, restraining humans and scolding vampires. Girls pushed over each just to hand their treats to Hanabusa, who was the first to arrive before his fans and proudly accepted all of their offers. I took my time, walking down the path to get to my position, for there was nobody there that I was in a rush to see.

"Do you always have to look this angry?" I overheard Rima ask Ruka.

"Do _you_ always have to look this apathetic?" she retorted, returning her attention back to Kaname accepting his treats. "They should be grateful that he would even accept their gifts," she glowered.

"Maybe you should do the same and make your fans a little happy as well," the blue-eyed model suggested, carrying a pile of presents in her arms as she began heading towards the classrooms already. I paused in my steps and took note of Senri, empty-handed, following in Rima's direction.

"Just go to your gate," Akatsuki told him, exasperated.

"This is boring. It's always the same every year," Senri said, slipping his hands into his pockets."I'll see you in class."

_Though I may be a bit out of character at the moment, I shouldn't ruin it for others and neither should they. These girls put a lot of effort for just this event. And a simple acknowledgment from us is enough to either make their day extraordinary or heartbreaking. So just suck it up, Takuma! And do what you've always been good at doing – smiling. At least for just these few minutes._

Before he could walk away, I ran over to him and flung my arm around his shoulders and said, "Come on, Senri. The ladies are waiting."

"This is stupid," he complained as I forcefully directed him to his station.

"Think of it as a service to your community," I joked, forming a gregarious smile for the girls jumping with excitement as we neared. "Here he is, ladies." I gave him a little push towards them and by that time, he had no way of escaping other than to give them his attention and graciously accept their gifts. I looked over my shoulder to keep an eye on Ruka and was relieved to see a few boxes in her hands. _So she finally decided to cooperate as well._ _The easy part's done, now the hard part: facing my own crowd of proclaimers._

"Ichijo-senpai, please accept my gift!" the girl at the front of my gate requested, holding out a neatly wrapped, little green box with a light blue ribbon around it.

"Thank you," I responded, smiling gratefully and taking it.

"Please take mine too, senpai!" another shouted.

"And mine!"

"Mine too!"

I generously accepted all of them, not letting my smile waver a bit throughout the process. Though with each gift I accumulated, I felt nothing. There was no sense of flattery or even a slight bit of enjoyment from receiving so much. The only satisfaction that made all this bearable was seeing the girls finding this entire charade of mine thrilling and heartening. Thus, at the end of all this, I was left with my arms filled with proclamations of love, and yet, never had I felt so empty.

"Alright! Day Class students, please head back to your dormitory! Night Class, please finish accepting your gifts and head straight to first period!" Yuki shouted, directing all of us. I was tempted to inquire Yuki about _her_, but there was a resistance in me, somewhat resembling fear.

I arrived to my first class, hearing an unusual amount of chattering inside. The others were at their desks, enjoying their sweets and comparing their gifts to one another.

"I believe I got the most tonight," Hanabusa declared, tasting a piece of chocolate.

"It's not a contest, you know," Rima responded, rolling her eyes at him. She uncrossed her legs once I set my stuff on the desk in front of her and leaned over to me, examining the chocolates. "Did you get one from her? I didn't see her tonight though," she said, poking her head from over my shoulder. I didn't respond to her, and she then asserted, "I told you to not get into her. Like I said, humans are a nuisance."

"Yeah," I softly muttered to myself. When she stated those exact words before, I brushed them away like flies. Now, it felt like she was right. _I expected too much too quick._

"Hey." She tapped me on the shoulder and asked, "You know him?" I looked up to the door where she pointed and saw the janitor from before standing there, waving at me and then gesturing for me to come down.

_What's he doing here? _I got up and went down the steps to meet him.

"Took me a while to find you," the old man said with a jolly smile.

"I didn't know you worked evening shifts as well," I mentioned.

"Oh no, I don't. I just got off my last shift. I'm actually here to pass something on to you." He took out a dark golden box with a caramel colored ribbon around it from behind him. "A young lady from the other class asked me to give it to you." I could barely feel the weight of the gift when I took it from him as my hands went numb.

"Who is it?" I asked, looking up at him again.

"I didn't get her name," he replied. "I imagine she intended for it to be anonymous."

"I see…" _Who can it be? Is it possible that it's…Her..?_

"She's quite lovely though," he added. I didn't say anything, and he left once I thanked him for his delivery. There was a small card stuck in between the ribbon with some writing on it. The emptiness that was in me suddenly filled, and the doubt and disappointment faded. And in their places, incentive and gratification came in, transforming the false smile I had on all night into the sincere one that evoked the happiness it truly signified. The note simply read:

_"I don't know how you did it, or why. But thank you._

_- Your number 1 fan."_

"What's that? Is it from one of the girls in the other class?" Hanabusa asked, suddenly rushing over. I quickly tucked the card into my pocket before he saw.

"I don't know," I told him, who seemed more enthralled by the gift than I was. He was about to say something when the professor appeared beside us.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait till after class," he sternly said, eyeing the two of us. Neither of us was much intimidated by his words, but nonetheless, we went back up the steps and took our seats again.

The professor immediately began today's lecture, already putting me to sleep. I traced the tip of my finger over the loops and knots of the silk ribbon, mesmerized by the mystery it sealed within. I could feel Rima's eyes drill holes through my back, her curiosity just as overwhelming as mine.

_I…I can't believe she really gave me something. Though she couldn't come tonight, she still found a way to give it to me. I guess forgetting to erase any memories of me from the janitor turned out to be a good thing. Else how would she have known that it was me? And here I was minutes ago, considering of forgetting everything. _The nerves throughout my body were restless as I gazed down at the unopened box. My legs fidgeted and my fingers tapped against the desk. And then finally, I couldn't resist any longer. The ribbon unknotted with ease, and I gently took off the lid of the box, and the sweet aroma of chocolate swept the air around me once I removed the plastic sheet that covered it. An immensely satisfied grin formed from me as I looked down at the assortment of chocolate made into the shape of roses. _Did she…Make these…? _I picked up the lid again but saw neither a tag nor a brand name on the top or on the inside.

"What I said earlier…," I heard Rima whisper to me as she peaked from behind. "…I take it all back…"

_How Rima always seem to know things, I will never know. But at the moment, I'm just glad to hear her say that because I too take back my thoughts from earlier today. No more doubts. No more hesitation. And no more calling it curiosity. If I like her, then I won't keep hiding it. _I put the lid back on and felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. The mere sight of the incoming number thwarted my moment of euphoria for I knew exactly what the purpose of this call was. _I should answer. If I don't...Grandfather would be very upset..._


	6. First Date

**Sorry for the inactive updates. I was on vacation for the last few weeks. Here's a NEW chapter that has elements of the old mixed into it. Enjoy!**

**I don't own VK.**

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[Yoka's POV]

I picked up the picture frame on the table, looking at it one more time before I stowed it in the box with my other belongings.

_I thought I'd never move in to the dorm. _I gave one last glance around the room, half of it empty and the other inhabited by Yuki still. The notice of an extra space being available in the Sun Dormitory just came in this morning. Yet, it was only noon and I had already finished packing. _Goes to show how little stuff I have. But what am I complaining for? Less stuff means less packing for me. Still…I'm gonna' miss her. _I glanced at Yuki's perfectly made bed. _Though I hardly see her at times because of her prefect duties…She was a good person. I just hope my new roommate is at least bearable. _ I swung my bag around me and picked up the box, heading out of the room.

The Sun Dorm was definitely livelier than living at the chairman's residence, actually resembling dorm life with students lounging in the study room, chatting in hallways, etc. I stopped in front of one of the doors, looking up at the number labeled on it.

_124…This is it…_I couldn't help but feel nervous, considering my somewhat socially inept personality deep down. I took one last deep breath, piecing together the aloof mask that I've done so well in perfecting. Firmly holding my box in one hand, I reached for the doorknob with the other and opened the door, revealing a room occupied of only belongings and furniture but no other breathing soul. _Phew…This makes settling in a little easier…_The bed closest to the door was neatly made with clean sheets and the desk and side table beside it were empty, ready to be inhabited. Tossing my duffle bag onto the bed, I went straight away to unpacking, but I couldn't help my eyes from wondering to the other half of the room. There were posters of bands that I've never heard of on the wall, textbooks flipped open and sprawled on the desk with pictures of possibly friends and family sticky-tacked onto the wall above it. Stuffed animals took over the unmade bed and an alarm clock that was carelessly tossed onto it. I looked up and noticed a corkboard on one of the walls between two of the posters. It was like a collage of pictures and notes that I couldn't make out. I took a few steps closer till the photos became clear and my eyes stretched wide as I stared. Chills ran to my bones and my feet tangled with one another as I hastily stepped backwards. _The hell…Is THAT? _It was difficult to shift my sight from what appeared to be not any other collage…But a collage of Ichijo, compiled of photos of him edited with pictures of what I guessed to be my mysterious roommate as well as what seemed to be notes of confessions of affection. _This. Is. So. CREEPY! Obsession and teenage hormones don't go well together for girls. And I just got roomed with one. But not just any one...One that's obsessed with the same guy that I haven't been able to stop thinking about for the past week. _My attention finally broke away from the disturbing fan-made monstrosity, focusing back on the subject that I was temporarily able to resist pondering over from this morning till now. I shook my head softly, trying to shake the thoughts away, and returned back to my bedside, taking my books out of the cardboard box. I looked down at my hands, holding on to one of my notebooks inside the box. My knuckles had healed well over the days that the scrapes were barely noticeable, but my hand wasn't flawless. This time, it was the bottom of my palm that suffered a small burn that seared the outer layer of my skin. _Hardly anything to worry over_. The wound itself wasn't what caught my sight. It was how I got it that threw me into another swarm of thoughts.

"I'm such a klutz," I said, recalling several nights ago when I attempted to make chocolate for the first time. _First, I beat up a girl over some boy…Then, I burn myself on the stove making chocolate for that boy. I…Never gave ANY boy ANYTHING on St. Xocolatl's Day. They say that on that day, girls presented chocolates to boys as a statement of their love. Was I…Making the same statement? Nonsense! _I took out several more of my belongings, emptying the box and pausing in motion again as my mind continued to wander on such contemplations. _The chocolates were just a sign of my gratefulness for what he did for my detention. Nothing more…Right? If it's no big deal, then…Why haven't I been able to face him? Why haven't I been able to gather the courage to thank him in person, and instead, I had to inconvenience the janitor to do it for me? _I took the picture frame and went over to the side table to set it down, before sitting on the edge of my new bed to begin unpacking my bag. _He doesn't feel like my friend, yet he's no stranger anymore. Then…What is he to me? _The motivation to continue settling in my new environment disappeared. I collapsed flat on my bed with all my thoughts directed to this one specific person. _I don't…Know what to think of him, and…I'm scared to know. That's why I haven't been going to turnovers. Why I avoided the maple tree…What do I say or how do I even begin if I see him? Too many unknowns and confusions…Too many doubts…_

xxx

I stopped at the cross-section of the street and pulled out my phone from my purse as I waited for the pedestrian signal to light green. _It's 5:45 already. I should head back. _I turned to look behind me, seeing the small shops along the street begin to turn on their lights as the day started to dim, and a feeling of reluctance stirred within me. _I really hate this rule of not being allowed off campus even on the weekends! It's confining to have to stay at school all the time._ The numbers counted down as the green signal indicated for crossing. I forced myself to begin walking, having to drag my feet with me. _I probably shouldn't sneak out like this again…But the hole under the wall of the front entrance was too tempting…And I really wanted to go to the bookstore in town! _I browsed through the windows of the passing shops as I continued walking down the sidewalk to make my way back to school. The pastries looked delicious, the designer clothes gorgeous, and the restaurant – I came to an abrupt halt, facing the French cuisine restaurant and stared through the window at the couple sitting at one of the tables beyond the glass. Dining in the restaurant, Ichijo sat in the chair, formerly dressed as he casually chatted with an unknown but beautiful woman.

"I-…chijo…" my lips barely uttered as my eyes remained fixated on him. Either he somehow heard me or I miraculously sent him a telepathic message, but he suddenly looked up from his conversation and flinched when he noticed me standing right outside. We stared at each like monkeys for a moment before I gave in and immediately started walking once the girl with him was about to look over her shoulder. I tried to keep my legs going even when they had already gone numb, and my chest felt tight as if caving in on my racing heart. _That was him…With a girl…! But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it wasn't him and I misrecognized the person. Wait!_ I came to a stop with only the sound of my heart vigorously pumping blood throughout my body filling my ears. _What-…What's wrong with me? Why am I reacting like this? Am I…Am I…Jealous…? _My hand reached up to my chest, comforting myself from such a sudden impulse. _But…If I'm jealous, then…Then does that mean I…I like him…? _My brain clicked, but my focus broke as Ichijo suddenly called out my name from behind. I turned around to see him racing towards me.

"I can explain!" were the first words that burst out of him once he caught up. "I can explain," he repeated, his green eyes radiating desperately and his lips forming a frown thought to be impossible to exist. Still recovering from my spontaneous revelation, I quietly looked back at him, noticing his jacket missing. I wanted to hit him, to yell at him, but I had no reason to.I wasn't his girlfriend or his date. He didn't do anything wrong.

_And there I was, constantly thinking about him…Thinking of what to say when I meet him at turnover tomorrow…Making sense of all this sudden emotion, while he was here…Sipping champagne and eating an expensive meal…With another girl…_

"You said you've never dated," I spoke in an unexpected calm voice, trying to keep it from falling apart. "You seemed pretty good at it back there though."

"It's not a date," he affirmed. "It's just an arrangement. That's all."

"Right," I responded with obvious skepticism. He then looked back at me with a confused expression.

"What're you doing in town anyways?" he asked. "It's against school rules for you to be off campus."

"Speak for yourself," I sharply replied. "Though I guess arranged dates are an exception."

"It's not a date," he reasserted.

"Then what is it?" I curtly said. "When a guy and a girl go out to a nice restaurant, it's called a DATE! Arranged or not! I don't know what world you live in, but that's what they call it _here_!"

"Is that so? Well, in _my_ world, a date is when a boy _willingly asks_ a girl out," he unexpectedly argued back. "I certainly did NOT ask that woman out, neither was I even _willing_ to attend such an arrangement. So logically, that would mean that this whole preplanned outing is nothing more but a formal meeting among two strangers."

I furrowed my brow and shut my mouth tight as my teeth clenched together with no comeback in mind. _I never know what to retort back! He always has a point that in some twisted way makes sense! It's so…so…FRUSTRATING! _I turned my back to him and stomped away.

"I can't believe I gave this jerk chocolate!" I ranted.

"Wait," he called out, following after me. I didn't stop.

"And to think that I even _liked_ him when all this time he's just a conniving ass, toying with me! I knew there was a motive! I knew- " He took me by the arm and spun me around to face him, catching me off guard.

"Did…You say you…_Liked_…Me?" he then asked with a small yet pleasant smile. My eyes grew big as I slapped my hand over my mouth and my entire face burned bright red.

"NO!" I frantically replied, my thoughts faster than my words. "I MEAN-YES-I MEAN I DID-BUT NOT ANYMORE! YOU KNOW IT'S PAST TENSE, SO-"

"Would you like to go out with me?" he cut me off. His eyes strayed away from mine as he rubbed his hand on the back of his neck with a shy smile. My body froze in place and my mouth hung open like an idiot as I stared back. He gave a nervous laugh and shook his head as if unsatisfied in some way. "No…That's not right. The invitation should be more…_Formal_, shouldn't it?" He glanced around us and said to me, "Wait here!" He ran off across the street, almost getting run over by a car, and pulled out a bunch of cash, handing all of it to the florist before pushing the entire cart of flowers towards me. The passing people stared at us as he knelt down before me with the flower cart beside him and his hand reached up towards me. "Yoshika Hananzo," he annunciated with a striking smile. "Will you please go on a date with me?"

_THE HELL IS HE DOING?! PROPOSING?! _I could feel my left eye twitch as I stared down at him in utter disbelief. _He's…Asking me out…_The explosion of butterflies in my stomach reoccurred again along with this irregular heartbeat that made my entire body feel as if it was floating.

"Please get up! People are staring!" I told him, awkwardly holding on to my bag, anchoring myself back to the ground.

"You haven't answered though. Am I doing something wrong? Should I get on both knees then?"

"NO!" I shouted, stopping him before he could. "Please just get up already!"

"But-"

"OKAY! YES! _Yes, I'll go out with you!_ _Will you please just get up already?_" His big smiled beamed over him like a child, and he quickly got up.

"The night is yours then," he charmingly remarked.

"Wait! You mean tonight? Like right now?" I exclaimed. "B-but I'm not ready! And it's getting late and you're already on a date-"

"For a jealous girl, you're not very good at taking what's yours," he broke in, grinning.

"What's…Mine…?"

"I am yours for the evening," he continued. "_I _willingly asked you out, and _you_ willingly accepted. _This_ is what a 'date' really is."

"But the other woman-"

"I was boring her already, and she to me. My absence is doing _both_ of us a favor," he insisted.

_Am I...Just a contingency plan then?_

My thoughts scattered when he added, "Besides…I've been meaning to ask you out, but…You haven't been showing up to turnovers, and also…I've never properly asked a girl on a date before." Though he had a jovial and lax appearance, I could tell he was just as nervous as I was when he adjusted his tie and smoothed out the wrinkle on his grey vest. "It's not as easy as everyone thinks," he added.

_Is he really telling the truth? Why am I still doubting when those were the exact words that I've been wanting to hear, but I just didn't know it…So much uncertainty and risk revolves around him, yet, the since of security I get in his presence draws me in. So…Am I willing to take a chance for once in my life? _

"Other than…The public announcement, you didn't do half that bad," I finally spoke, shyly grinning at him. It cheered him to see my outgoing disposition return to me. "I really don't know any good places to go around here, and I already had an early dinner," I continued. "So I'll leave the choice up to you. I like ice cream though, just something to let you keep in mind."

His eyes vibrated with exhilaration and he said to me with the happiest smile that I have ever seen on him since we've met, "I know the perfect place."

xxx

I twirled the rose between my fingers, bringing it up to my nose as Ichijo and I walked down the sidewalk. My shopping bags from earlier today dangled from his fingers as they gently swung back and forth.

I glanced up at him when he said, "You seem to really like roses."

"What makes you think that?" I curiously asked back.

"Other than the fact that that was the only flower you picked out of the entire cart…It's your eyes," he responded. "The way they shine as you look at it. It's mesmerizing."

I gazed aside at the shops we passed, suppressing the flattery that overwhelmed me, and I smirked, "My eyes, huh? You sure you're not just seeing things? It's quite dark."

He smiled, catching on to my sarcasm, and kindly said, "It's true." I still avoided facing him, knowing that the redness of my face had not subsided, and my strange heartbeat resurfaced, beating faster than usual. Yet for some reason, I welcomed it. We stopped at a park, brightly lit with street lamps and with families and other people strolling about.

"This is where the amazing ice cream is?" I inquired, glancing around but not seeing any shops other than the ones across the street. My insides jumped when he placed his hands over my shoulders and turned me to face in another direction at an old man and an ice cream cart with balloons tied to it. "That?" I said with relative surprise.

"Don't let the appearance fool you," he put in, getting in the line that I only just took notice of.

"Is it really that good?" I softly muttered to myself, stepping on my tip toes to get a better look at the people in front of us.

"You'll just have to see for yourself," he overheard and responded. It didn't take too long till it was our turn. The elderly man looked at us with kind eyes and a jovial smile.

He adjusted his tiny glasses and wiped his hands on a towel before greeting us, "Evening there! Cup or cone?" Ichijo glanced over at me.

"Cone, please," I told the man.

"Make that two," Ichijo added.

Afterwards, we went over to the playground close by and sat on the swings. The excitement built up in me as I prepared myself to take a bite of the long-awaited ice cream in my hand. Its cold feel was ecstatic to my bland taste buds, and the rich cream of vanilla brought about a nostalgic calmness to spread within me. My cheeks flourished with vibrant colors as I delicately licked the sweetness from my lips.

"It's…Really good," I admitted. His face brightened with mine as if my pleasant reaction was what he was waiting for.

"It is, isn't it…"

"I'm surprised he hasn't opened an actual shop."

"He did," Ichijo said, taking another bite.

"Really? Where is it?"

"It use to be the bakery about two blocks that way," he pointed.

"Use to be? What happened?"

"He closed the store and sold it when his wife passed away. After a few years, he started coming to this park everyday to sell ice cream again."

"I would've never had guessed," I said, looking across at the man, giving another cone to a little boy with his parents. Then I turned to Ichijo again and remarked, "You know quite a bit about him."

"We chatted once a while back," he responded.

"Do you come to town often then?"

"Every week." I smirked to myself from his reply, eating my ice cream. He gave me an amused look and asked, "What's so funny?"

"It's just that as the vice president of your class, I thought you to be a little more obedient," I replied.

"Well, I'm not your average vice president," he reasoned.

"Really?" I said with amusement. "I guess you're right though. The average vice president wouldn't sneak into town for _questionable_ meetings."

"What about you then?" he asked back. "What were you doing in town today?"

"Just picking up a few books," I casually answered, finishing my dessert.

"And spying on me."

"I was not!" He laughed at my outburst and got up and stood in front of me with his hand reached out.

"Here, let me throw that out for you," he then offered. I thanked him and placed the napkin in his hand, careful enough to not let our skins directly touch.

"Do…" I stopped, finding it a bit difficult to openly speak. He patiently looked at me to continue as he walked back over and leaned against the swing set. "Do you go on arranged dates often?"

"Probably not as much as you think," he earnestly answered. "Just every now and then. It's my grandfather. He's…Old fashioned."

"I see…" I trailed off.

"What is it? Getting jealous again?" he joked.

"Uh! NO!" I snapped back, turning away from him as I began to blush again._ Dammit! Stop blushing! _He then squat down in front of me, trying to get me to look at him.

"You're pretty cute when you blush like this," he teased with an ever-growing smile. I made a face at him and jumped out of my spot, gently pushing him down and then running off to the monkey bars. By the time he came after me, I was already sitting on the top with my legs dangling down.

"You're not afraid of heights, are you?" I asked, smiling. He didn't reply but grinned back. And in a fluent motion, he effortlessly swung himself up right next to me, knocking that smile of mine right off my face.

"No," he then said. "I'm not afraid of heights." He sat so close next to me that I could smell his cologne. I hated the scent of cologne. But his…His I couldn't get enough of. I forced myself to stare up at the black sky to distract myself. The stars shined brightly but even that wasn't enough to settle the enormous storm that his presence provoked in me. Being this close to him, I could feel every inch of my muscles shake as my nerves danced beneath my skin.

"Thank you…For your chocolates," he then spoke, watching his legs swing back and forth.

"Thank you for detention," I replied back. "You didn't have to. I was the one being punished. Not you."

"You were being punished for a fight over me, so I can't help but feel a _little_ responsible." He smiled genuinely and then turned his gaze back up to the sky. We stayed at the park for a little while longer before leaving and making our way back to school.

_I think the ice cream's getting to me._ I crossed my arms, rubbing my hands against them as we crossed the street, trying to warm myself.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"Just a little," I said with no big deal, tugging on the sleeves of my top. His hand reached to his chest and suddenly stopped.

"I forgot that I left my jacket back at the restaurant," he softly chuckled. "And I doubt a vest would do any good."

"It's okay. Really," I earnestly told him. He set my bags on the ground between his feet and slipped off his vest. Then he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. I would've flipped had I not noticed the undershirt he was wearing inside.

He cloaked his shirt over my shoulders and asked, "Better?" I nodded feeling my heart beat unnaturally against my chest, and my body immediately warmed from the touch of his shirt. I tugged on it, fastening it tighter around me. My lungs filled with his fragrance that lingered on it as I took in a deep breath. And we continued moving.

"I'm sorry if tonight was rather...boring," he apologized once we were at the entrance of the Sun Dormitory.

"Don't be," I told him with a grateful smile. "When you're on a date, all that matters is having fun with the other person, and…I had fun tonight."

A sense of relief came over him, and he then said, "Will…I see you at turnovers again then…?" I desperately tried to contain the fireworks that set off in me and nodded. He handed me my bags as I returned his shirt, our fingers brushing over each other's as we each took our belongings. His skin felt warm against mine even for just a mere few seconds, and I felt a little bit of me leave with him as we parted ways.

I was still filled with energy as I laid in bed that night, staring at the ceiling. I couldn't stop feeling my shoulders where his soft shirt hung over them, heating my entire body to the core. _Is this what it feels like…To like someone? Jealousy…Anxiety…Security…And happiness…I felt all of them tonight. All this time I've been trying to figure out his motive for all his actions, but I always come out with nothing. But now...I think I know what it is. He keeps coming to see me...Taking on my punishments...All because he just wants to spend time with me. And after tonight, I...Can't help but feel the same, even by just a little bit._


	7. Chaotic Lunch Break

**This is a new chapter, replacing the original one, Kiss Attempt 2.**

**Enjoy!**

**I don't own VK.**

* * *

[Ichijo's POV]

I covered my mouth from the yawn escaping me as I closed the door to my room. Then, like a reflex, I whipped up the quickest smile I could right before I met up with the others downstairs.

"Goooood morning," I greeted.

"It's incomprehensible of how you can be so happy every night," Ruka remarked, curling her hair with her finger.

"At least you notice," I responded, my smile growing even brighter. She refused to comment any further, humoring me even more.

"Hey, how'd your date go?" Akatsuki asked.

"You went on a date?" Rima questioned, suddenly with interest.

"It was an arranged one," Akatsuki clarified for me.

"Your grandfather makes you go to those?" Ruka said.

"Grandfather thinks that I lack the initiative he had when he was my age," I told them while maintaining my cheery demeanor. "Also…He doesn't really trust my judgment in women."

"What's his type then?" Rima inquired.

"I bet I know," Hanabusa interrupted, stepping forward. "His type is the high-end nobles, aren't they? The less human contamination in the blood, the better."

"Aren't most aristocratic families like that," Rima murmured, unimpressed by his inferences.

"But at least some of ours still let us choose," he continued. "So what was she?" he then turned to me and asked. "Aristocrat? Or was it possible that your grandfather pulled in a pureblood for you?"

"Nonsense!" Ruka exclaimed. "Why would purebloods even consider mixed breeds like us?"

"Must you be so self-hating? Besides, the Ichijo family _is_ the highest aristocracy just below purebloods."

"Doesn't change the fact that he has _human_ in his ancestry." Her condescending remarks irritated Hanabusa more than it did me, sending him off on a lecture, preaching to her of the pride in nobles of our kind. Luckily, his speech was cut short as twilight had fallen upon us and we departed for our classes.

I followed the rest out of the Moon Dorm, gathering at the gate. Ruka's initial remark still clung on to me. She was right about me always appearing to have woken on the right side of the bed, but this evening was different than those before it. When I woke up tonight, I didn't look at myself in the mirror and see a fake, someone who was posing as a willing participant in this school and its altruistic goals. _What would the others think if they were to know of the real reason why my grandfather approved of me to come to Cross? What would Kaname think?_ Those were the real thoughts that strained my mind behind every smile I put out since I came, that is…until I met _her_. It wasn't till recently had I been able to set aside such depressing truths and allow my curiosity to take over, eventually blossoming into something much more complex. Having spent an evening with her, I went to bed stuck in a euphoric heaven, and I awoke moments ago seeing a part of me that had not been molded by my grandfather. _He said I lacked initiative, but when I looked at myself this morning…I saw it._

"Hey," Rima spoke, suddenly appearing beside me with an unusual vibe of tension. "Can I ask you something?" she continued, giving a quick glimpse around to see that no one else was listening. She didn't even give me time to respond, and she further questioned, "I know your lil' date was just an arranged one, but you're not toying with two girls at once, are you?"

"What's this?" I said, smirking. "Are you taking me as an 'Aido' type?"

"I'm serious," she stressed with a threatening tone to her voice that matched the sharp stare she sent me.

My little act of pride fluttered away, leaving behind a thoughtful smile, and I said, "Don't worry. I'm not that type of guy. At the moment, I'm only interested in _one_ girl…" Yuki's shouting climaxed as the doors opened for us to proceed to class. "…And her blood is neither noble nor pure." My words were enough to satiate her, seeing that she had put down her aggressive front. "I have to say," I then added, my teasing character returning back to me. "Your sudden concern in my social affairs is rather touching."

"Psh! Like I care," she quickly defended as we walked out. She crossed her arms and looked the other way. "I just didn't want to see you get in over your head. And besides, after that chocolate stunt on St. Xocolatl's Day, your _human_ relationship…doesn't seem all that bad."

My smile flourished from hearing her indirect words of approval. _It's not like I need her sanction. However…She's dear to me. And to have her support on such a 'different' experience is uplifting._ I wanted to either thank her or make a snarky remark, but I didn't get the chance for my attention spontaneously directed elsewhere. I didn't even realize Yoka was there until I saw her at the back of the love-stricken crowd. It was as if my mind sensed her presence and gravitated towards it. Her blue eyes flickered when they caught on to mine, and her shy but sweet smile dazzled me just as it did the first time I saw it. She sent a small wave my way, trying not to attract any attention from the others in either class. I returned the smile and took a few steps towards her but stopped when Zero abruptly cut in front of me.

"Class is the other way," he scowled.

"Hello to you too, Kiryu," I innocently greeted. He glowered at me suspiciously with confrontation lurking in his eyes while I smiled merrily at him before turning the other way along with my classmates, not desiring to further provoke his hostile nature. I wanted to meet Yoka somehow, yet going to the usual spot was next to impossible with Kiryu's eyes drilling holes into my back. _I'll just have to find another time._ I casually looked to my side as if I was speaking to the person beside me, and from the corner of my eye, I glanced over my shoulder at her, still standing there watching me as the distance between us increased. She didn't have the confused expression that I imagined, but instead, she kept her smile up as she turned away and departed from the crowd.

xxx

[The next day...]

[Yoka's POV]

I stared blankly at the dish before me, folding the rice with my fork over and over again. I could barely feel the weight of my head leaning against my hand as my mind was somewhere else, thinking of the same thing during every second that I could. _What the HELL does Ichijo put in that hair of his?! I don't get it! The color's perfect. The texture seems so fluent and it's just so…MESSY…but NEAT looking! _I brought my hands over my face, rubbing my eyes as the act of pondering began to exasperate me.

"Is the curry that bad?" a voice spoke. I peered through the gaps between my fingers to see Ichijo sitting in the seat beside me.

"ICH-"

"Shhhhhhh!" he immediately cut me off, peaking around the cafeteria to see if anyone noticed.

"As you can see," he then said in almost a whisper. "I was able to sneak in without anyone noticing. Don't want all my efforts to go to waste that fast, now do we?" He saw the shocked expression I still had on me as I stared at him. "You seemed startled."

"Of course I am!" I exclaimed before quickly covering my mouth from speaking so loud. Thankfully the others did not bother. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE ANYWAYS?"

"I didn't get to talk to you at turnover last night," he answered. I then noticed the matching Day Class uniform he wore.

"Is…that…" I trailed off, pointing at his wardrobe.

He looked at himself, smiling pleasantly as he did, and then responded, "Well, I couldn't just waltz in here wearing my usual white. The girls would go crazy."

"I don't think the uniform's working," I nervously said, seeing several girls look up at him from the tables across from us. Some of them stared, wondering if they were seeing things, while others stood up to get a better look. "Um…Ichijo," I whispered, the tension vibrating from my voice. "I-I think you should run." A few students began to walk over with a guise of suspicion.

"I'm not the only one that should." It was only then that I noticed the glares from multiple girls that targeted me. I felt every muscle in me tighten with each step closer my classmates took.

All the tension suddenly released, and I flinched in my seat when a girl shot up from out of her chair and shouted at the top of her lungs, "IT'S ICHIJO-SENPAI!"

"And that's our cue." Ichijo immediately grabbed my hand, and without any thought, I followed and ran out of the cafeteria with him as fans screamed with excitement and haters clenched their hands into fists.

I didn't know where we were going, and at the moment, it didn't seem to matter. The only thing that did was the warmth that came from his firm yet gentle hold on my hand as he ran with me blindly following faster than my legs could carry. How we ended up there, I could never remember. All that I could recall was that my lunch ended with me hiding with him in a tree from all the chaos. We looked down at the girls that suddenly approached, relaying to each other their unsuccessfulness in finding us and continuing on the search in another direction. I took a breath of relief once they were a distance away. Though my mind was distressed from what happened, my heart was surpassingly placid.

"We should probably stay put for a little bit," he suggested. "At least till things calm down a little." I nodded in agreement and cautiously sat in a more comfortable position on the sturdy tree branch. "This afternoon definitely didn't go as planned," he then added with a smirk to himself.

"Next time, let's just meet at the maple tree after turnovers," I responded, letting out another sigh.

"That may not work out anymore," he mentioned.

"That's because _you_ pissed off Zero with all your _flirty_ looks."

"I told you. Smiling _isn't_ flirting." He then grinned haughtily and continued, "Are you getting jealous of me being nice to other girls again?"

"N-n-no!" I stammered back. He laughed to himself, looking down at his feet hanging over the branch. "Don't get too smug!" I then shot back. "You're not that much worth getting jealous over!"

"Really? Didn't seem like that on Sunday."

"You're never gonna' let that go, are you…"

"Nope," he proudly smiled. Thinking back on what happened that night, I couldn't help but smile to myself as well.

"Are you always this full of yourself?" I asked fairly humored.

He shook his head and replied, "Frankly speaking, no. I just do it to tease you."

"Thank god! Else I wouldn't know how your parents could _ever_ stand being around you with an ego like that."

He smiled, continuing to look down at the flower bed below us, and responded, "Enduring me is something they're no longer obligated to."

"Oh my god." The words immediately escaped from my lips and my mirth came to an abrupt halt. "I'm so sorry," I quickly apologized.

"It's not like that," he told me lightheartedly. "I just don't live with them anymore. My grandfather's been taking care of me instead."

"How come…If you don't mind me asking?"

"My parents, they're _busy_ people…And my grandfather believes that he has a better outlook for my future than they do."

"Does he?"

"He's a wise man, who's been around for a _long_ time, so I guess…He does." He still smiled when he said that, without even the slightest of bitterness that it felt false. He then turned to me and asked, "What about you?"

"Me?" I fidgeted a little in place. "Well, you remember what the other girl said from before," I replied with a tiny smile that was barely even visible, "Orphan."

I could sense the sympathy he had as he responded, "I didn't take her word. People say false things a lot of times."

"She didn't." Ichijo didn't inquire further, though for some reason, I had hoped he would. I wanted him to ask, to know, and to understand that a depressing soul like me wasn't the usual first pick for a happy-go-lucky guy such as him. "What's wrong? No more questions?" my mouth spoke without my mind's approval.

"It's not that. Family can be a sensitive subject, and it's not my place to pry," he said with a considerate smile. He spoke as if he understood when in actuality…he didn't.

_Who would want to understand? Nobody wants to have the burden of carrying the unwanted baggage of others, even the person themselves. _

"I think the girls went to class," I then said, peering down at the courtyard below us. He easily hopped down to the bottom, miraculously standing up with like it was nothing. "Oh my god! Are you _crazy_?" He looked up at me puzzled. "You could've broken a leg or something, jumping from this height!"

"I'm very athletic," he reasoned with a quick grin. "Come on now. I'll catch you if you fall." Confusion came over him again when he noticed the blushing that occurred over me. "What's wrong?"

"I'm…" My face burned even hotter. "…I'm wearing a skirt."

"I'll close my eyes," he offered, shutting them right now.

"No, don't close your eyes!" I shouted, startling him. "How are you going to catch me if I really do fall?"

"Don't worry," he suddenly assured in a gentle voice that instantly calmed me. "I'll catch you."

"Okay," I softly responded. Carefully moving towards the trunk of the tree, I found a good footing and a sturdy grip as I began my descent. Generally, climbing a tree was no problem for me. But climbing down from a tree with the paranoia of a boy looking up my skirt…_that_ was the real challenge. "I-I'm coming down!" I told him.

"Watch your step," he said.

_He's not peaking, is he? Boys will always be boys. Let me just make sure…_I paused in mid-climb and warily looked over my shoulder. To my surprise, he kept his word and his eyes were closed while he patiently waited for me. _He really…isn't looking. Yet again he's proven my doubts wrong. _I turned back to facing the tree, trying to hide my smile. _Sometimes I think that I enjoy being proven wrong by him. _My thoughts kept circling as I carelessly misjudged my footing and slipped. But before I could let out a scream, I already stopped falling. Instead of crashing onto the hard surface of the earth, I fell into something much softer. I slowly opened my eyes to see Ichijo kindly smiling back at me as his robust arms kept me from making impact with the ground.

"I told you I'd catch you," he said in a tender voice that matched his mellow green eyes.

"Yeah…you did…" I said at a barely audible volume. It was the first time our bodies rubbed against each other's to such degree that on the inside, my body went crazy. He continued to hold on to me, his embrace not waning one bit, but instead, it strengthened with every passing moment our eyes consumed one another's. His gaze was so gentle, yet it penetrated right through the essence of my soul, like it could see even my deepest of secrets and accepted them. My body didn't withdraw and my conscious didn't cower away. With him, I didn't feel the need to. He hesitated at first but then his hands held tighter on to me, and he leaned a little closer, making the first move. Each beat of my heart felt like a pound against my chest, wanting to break free. I wanted him…but I didn't want him _that_ bad. And that was why I couldn't follow through, why I couldn't make that last lean forward and kiss those tempting lips of his. I turned my cheek to him and looked away, feeling my chest shake as I inhaled. "I…need to get to class," I told him with reluctance.

"You don't want to be late," he then said smiling as if my rejection was of no offense to him. He let me down, still offering support as I stood back on my own two legs.

"Thank you…for catching me."

"You're welcome," he sweetly replied. "But there really is no need for thanking. It was because of _me_ again that you ended up in a tree in the first place."

"Still…Thanks." Physically, I craved for him, and mentally, I couldn't get him out. I wanted to rewind time back to seconds ago when all that separated our lips was a mere lean, but all I could do now was just smile. And then I turned around to go to class.

"Yoka," he called out to me. My heart jumped in glee from hearing his voice speak my name, and I quickly turned back to face him again. He was about to finish but paused with indecisiveness. "What're you doing Saturday afternoon?" he asked, though I felt that that wasn't what he wanted to say at first.

I shook my head and answered, "Nothing."

He walked over to me and continued, "Then would you like to go out to lunch with me?"

"Off campus? But what if we get caught?"

"You just leave that to me," he said with a trusting smile. "All you'll need to do is meet me at the front gate." My cheeks didn't burn bright red, but they did naturally bloom with color as I smiled and refrained myself from hopping around like a little girl. I looked back at him as he awaited my answer, and I nodded.

xxx

[Ichijo's POV]

"How'd it go?" the janitor asked as I walked into his office with the Day Class uniform neatly folded in my hands.

"Not the way I originally anticipated," I honestly answered, grinning back.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. It went even better," I said, handing him the clothes. "I really appreciate all your help, and I'm sorry for inconveniencing you so much by always having you in the middle of this." His white mustache curled up as he smiled till his eyes were barely visible.

"It's no inconvenience whatsoever," he affirmed. "Watching you boys chase after that one _special_ girl always brings back fond memories." I smiled from his comment, appreciating his empathy and compassion. I reached my hand to the nape of my neck, rubbing it before running my fingers through my hair as I thought for a moment.

"Can I ask you something?" He lowered his newspaper and looked up at me from his small round glasses, hinting for me to continue. "What does it mean to be in love?" My question caught him off guard, and he chuckled at it, setting the paper on the table.

"That's a _very_ hard question," he then said with much amusement. "Everybody has a different answer to that."

"Then…what's yours?" He was still smirking to himself and then carefully looked at me, seeing that I wasn't trying to tease him.

"It's uh…it's a complicated answer," he responded.

"I'm willing to listen. If you're willing to share, that is."

My persistence grew on to him, and then he smiled benevolently and nodded in acceptance.

xxx

[Yoka's POV]

I returned back to my dormitory after turnover. No matter what I did, I couldn't stop smiling about this afternoon. Today was his first time asking me out without making a public scene, making this whole '_thing'_ with him feel so much more real. Even when I got to the door of my room, I still couldn't contain my excitement.

_I should've kissed him when I had the chance. But no…I just had to convince myself elsewise. Stupid! _I opened my door and stepped inside only to feel a sudden jolt strike through me from seeing my side of the room completely vandalized. My drawers were pulled open with clothes and belongings disheveled and scattered about. The books on my desk were open with pages ripped, and the feathering in my pillow covered the torn sheets of my bed. My bag slipped from my fingers as I slowly walked forward, observing the wreckage. I then went up to my bedside table and picked up the picture frame that was facing down. The glass of the frame was cracked, but the photo inside seemed unharmed. I brought the picture close to me, treasuring it even more. _Who would do this…?_


	8. Janitorial Duties

**New Chapter! Hope you like it ^^**

**I don't own VK. **

* * *

The bell tower rang as the clock struck twelve, and students emerged from their classrooms to make their way to the cafeteria for lunch. Yoshika took up her bag and assembled into the line with the others. Once she picked up her meal, she saw Yori wave to her from one of the tables. She approached and joined her friend.

"It looks better," Yori brought up, examining Yoka's left cheek. "The swelling went down quite a bit, since this morning."

"I've been icing it since then," Yoka replied, taking her fork.

"I can't believe how careless Akira was. You weren't even on her team. I sense foul play!"

"Ha, yeah…I feel like she has a grudge on me or something," she sarcastically responded.

"Well, she's never been the most pleasant to be around anyways."

Yoka smiled for the comfort her friend provided. Taking a bite of her food as they continued conversing, her eyes inadvertently wandered, randomly setting sight on the oddly familiar blonde hair of the janitor as he rolled along the hallway outside the cafeteria. Her mouth ceased in chewing the food inside, and she continued to stare until the man lifted up his cap and turned to her with that smile that she could never mistake as someone else's, that smile that always pushed her head over heels.

"Is everything, okay? Yoka!" She snapped out of her distraction and directed her attention back to Yori.

"I'm fine!" she quickly responded, swallowing her food. "Yori, I'm sorry, b-but I just remembered that I need to go see someone."

"Why do I have a feeling this 'someone' is a boy," she inferred with a clever grin. "I'll see you in class then."

"Sounds good," Yoka said, taking her tray and getting up. She tossed her food out and rushed out of the cafeteria, into the hall where he was minutes ago. She ran down to the other end, dodging several students before coming to an abrupt stop to another hallway. "Where'd he go," she mumbled to herself, glancing behind her.

"Looking for someone?" a voice spoke out. She looked to her left and saw Ichijo walk out of the boy's lavatory with a trash bag in his hand and that smile still hanging over him.

"Yeah! _You_!"

"Sorry," he apologized, tossing the trash into another garbage bag in the cart that he pushed around with all the cleaning tools and supplies. "A group of girls were coming from the other way and I jump in there till they passed. Might as well pick up the trash while I'm in there, right?" He grinned marvelously at her with his head slightly tilted to the side. "I didn't mean to interrupt your lunch break with Wakaba."

"That's alright. But-" Additional voices broke in, and Ichijo took her hand and swiftly pulled her into the restroom, locking the door. Yoka then noticed the rosiness in his cheeks from his spontaneous blushing. "What's wrong?" she whispered, minding the passing students.

He gave a little shy laugh and adjusted his cap as he replied, "Wrong lavatory." She looked around and saw all the stalls but no standing urinals.

"_That's_ what you're embarrassed about? You're the janitor, aren't you?"

"Only by uniform. I actually borrowed this from the janitor himself. The same one that delivered your _wonderful_ gift before," he said with delight. She brought her hands to her face as her turn to blush came, but his amusement unexpectedly halted. Her gaze returned back to him, seeing a bemused look over him. "What happened?" he then asked in a quiet voice, bringing his hand up to her cheek where the bruising was.

"It's nothing," she told him, looking off to the side right before the back of his fingers could touch her skin. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, looking down at her hands as she explained, "My roommate accidentally passed the ball to me in gym class when I wasn't looking."

"Your roommate? I thought you roomed with Yuki."

"Not anymore. A spot opened up in the dorm, so I moved in last week. My roommate's actually overly _obsessed_ about you."

"Is she now?" he commented, hopping onto the sink counter. She confirmed his skepticism and joined him.

"She's got a whole collage of you on her wall! But as creepy as it is, I have to say I'm rather impressed to see how devoted of an admirer she is."

"You're impressed whilst I'm worried," he said, grinning. "I hope she's not one of the aggressive types. Those can cause…problems."

"She's not a real talker, at least not to me. I don't know how, but I think she knows me."

"Really?"

"It's just the things she says and the way she acts around me. I hardly know her, and for some reason, it feels like she has something against me." She then shook her head lightly and hopped back onto the ground. "I'm probably over-thinking." Her face presented a smile, and she said to him, changing the subject, "You're really putting a lot of effort into sneaking onto campus like this so often, especially since you're technically suppose to be sleeping at this hour."

"Nobody said dating was easy," he remarked. Her eyes broke from his again as she tried to hide the small grin that escaped from her lips. "What's so funny?" he amusingly queried.

Her laugh was a little more obvious as she answered, "It's just…I don't know. I mean…Dating? That usually implies regularity. And…we've only been on _one_ date."

"Yes," he didn't deny. "But if you'd consider all the lunch breaks we've spent together as dates, including right now, then that's quite a few already." She smiled hearing that, her entire complexion beaming brightly. "And," he continued, "We also have Saturday afternoon, and _that_ I can assure you, is without doubt a _date_." His words brought comfort to her, ridding doubts and clearing the greys. He then set his feet back on the ground and stood, towering over her like a giant, and watched her like something suddenly stirred his mind. His hand slowly reached up to her face and brushed her bangs aside. That was when she noticed that he was still eyeing at the discoloring on the side of her face.

"Still can't get over that?" she smirked, her eyes straying off. Her body flinched when his other hand reached for hers.

"Please be careful next time?," he gently said to her. She looked up at him from seeing her hand fit perfectly into his and feeling her skin warm yet numb at the same time. "I don't want to have to have our upcoming date at the nurse's office," he added. She laughed, the bruise hardly affecting the graceful blushing of her cheeks. His thumb gently caressed the back of her hand over her knuckles, soothing the anxiety that built up in her. "Remember…Saturday, twelve o'clock at the front gate."

She gradually wrapped her fingers around his and said to him, "I won't be late."

The two of them came out of the girl's lavatory, clashing with a group of students passing through. Both of them immediately released their hold on each other as the students stared at them eccentrically.

"Thanks for unclogging that toilet!" Yoka blurted out off the top of her head. Ichijo stared blankly at her for a mere few seconds before catching on to the act.

"You're very welcome," he replied, chuckling as he adjusted his cap, tugging it lower to better conceal his face. He then went over to his cleaning cart that was still there and nonchalantly placed an 'Out of Order' sign in front of the restroom. "Enjoy the rest of your day," he said to her and gave a polite nod to the others before pushing his cart down the hall.

[Ichijo's POV]

I lowered my head as a group of girls walked pass me, relieved to hear no impulsive shrieks. It was difficult to not smile from seeing her today. I couldn't get her out of my head, and every second thoughts of her remained, I ached for Saturday to arrive faster.

However, seeing her today was also what made my smile fade as quickly as it came. From the bruise on her face to the words of apprehension, I could tell that there was something I should be worried about. She might have been oblivious herself, or possibly, she just didn't want me to know. Regardless of the reason, I was determined to find out.

xxx

[The next day]

Students were everywhere, and the fear of being recognized constantly put me on edge. The slightest whisper sent me into a panic as I passed the hallway as casually as possible. I looked through the window of each door I passed, careful to not lift my head up too high as to make my appearance more obvious than it already was.

_I already circled the building. She's not upstairs either._ I tugged on the tip of my cap, lowering it as a two girls approached. They passed me without even blinking, continuing in their conversation. Temporarily relieved, I stopped in the hall, taking off my cap as I ruffled my hair before running my fingers through it again to smooth it out. _Maybe she was in the restroom. I should go one more round to make sure. _My gaze drifted off to the window beside me as I placed my hands on the cleaning cart with me. I could make out several students riding horses out on the ranch where physical education class took place today. That was when I remembered. _She did mention that_ _she had gym class in the morning…_I didn't waste any more time and stored the cart in a random closet that I came across as I exited the classroom area.

I made my way around the field, hiding by an empty nearby barn as I scanned the students that were present. The horses didn't appreciate my company much as my scent intimidated them to the point of anxiety. However, there abrupt frenzy served as a suitable distraction for the students.

"You never mentioned working part-time as a janitor," a feminine voice came into hearing. I spun around keeping my back against the barn and came face to face with whom else but Rima.

"Rima!"

"I'm still trying to figure _this _out," she said, referring to my wardrobe. She looked at me with that same apathetic look she always had, shaded by the umbrella in her hand, blocking the sun. "If you're the janitor, aren't you suppose to be _cleaning_?"

"What're you doing here?" I asked back, trying not to panic.

"What else? Following you of course," she frankly answered. "Senri mentioned you going out and coming back late these days, so I was curious. If I had known _this_ was what you were up to, well…I would've saved myself from the sun burns." Her pigtails moved along with her as she moved past me. "So what's a janitor doing all the way out here?"

"I'm not the janitor," I clarified. _No wonder the horses reacted more violently than usual. There were two of us… _

She glanced over the corner of where we were to the other side and then said, "Oh, I see why you're here."

"What?" I peeked from over her and saw Yoka in front of the stables, brushing one of the horses._ Finally…Found her…_

"You know, stalking is normally a major turnoff for girls," Rima commented.

"I'm not stalking her," I replied, keeping my attention on Yoka. "I'm just a little…worried…" I trailed off when a mysterious uneasiness aroused in me from the appearance of three of her classmates.

"Hey, Yoshika," the girl with a black pixie cut in the middle called out. "You left your helmet on the bench." She held it out to her.

"Oh…Thanks, Akira," Yoka responded, setting the brush down to get it.

"Here, catch," the girl then said, tossing it into a pile of horse manure in one of the open stables. "Oops…Must've slipped out of my hand."

"Bitch," I heard Rima mumble to herself.

The girls snickered and giggled, and Akira looked back at Yoka with malice, her generous smile from before distorted into a sneer. But Yoka just smirked and shook her head.

"And here I thought that only boys could be so naïve," she then said, picking up the brush to continue grooming the horse.

The girl walked to the other side of the animal, and hissed to her, "Careful Hananzo. Wouldn't want your side of the room becoming a pig's pen again..."

"I had a feeling it was you," Yoka muttered with not much care. "I didn't expect pigs to be so territorial."

Akira's brow scrunched tightly together as she glared back, stomping her way around to her and retorted, "Let's not forget that _you_ were the one that crossed someone else's property. What does Ichijo-senpai even see in you?"

"So this is what it's about? A boy?" Yoka responded; not at all shy to reveal her surprise.

"We all saw you that time at lunch when he was there. You think you got him all to yourself, don't you? Well, _newsflash_! If you want him, get in line behind us, bitch!" There was an unexplainable spark of electricity by their feet and the girls flinched backwards with high pitch screeches piercing the atmosphere that also threw the horse into a fit of distress. Upon instinct, the aggressors retreated and ran off, stranding Yoka to calm the horse herself. I looked down at Rima, who slowly unveiled her face from underneath her umbrella.

"Don't give me that look," she told me. "You know you wanted to as well." I smiled and looked back up to see Yoka holding the horse down by the reins and softly speaking to it as it pacified.

"Boys...That's all girls can ever think about," she said to the horse, gently stroking its neck as it calmly stood by her side again. "And boys…Let's not even get into that…" After she led the animal back into its stable, she went over to her helmet and picked it up. From there, I caught a glimpse of her eyes and noticed they were glossier than usual. She then brought her hand up to wipe them, and the premature tears disappeared. I straightened back up from leaning and Rima followed.

"You have quite a few _bitches_ as fans," Rima remarked.

"I was hoping it wasn't that bad, and yet again, human obsession proved me wrong," I responded, starting to walk away.

"Where are we going?" she asked, twirling her umbrella around.

"_You're_ going back to the Moon Dorm, while I go and check something out," I informed her, stopping in my steps.

"Ditching me already."

"I'm worried about us getting caught," I explained. "Especially since this has nothing to concern with you."

"I'll take my chances," she insisted with a nonchalant attitude to conceal the excitement that I knew stirred within her.

It was impossible to further persuade, thus Rima continued to tag along as I made my way to the Sun Dormitory. We stood in front of the gate, securely locked from any entrance.

"That's a tall wall, you sure you can handle it?" I teased.

She retracted her umbrella and rolled her eyes at me and replied, "Please…You speak like I'm human." And without another word, she elegantly leaped over the wall. I grinned and shadowed after her, landing on my two feet with ease. We scanned the courtyard for any unknown presence and to our convenience, it was completely empty. "So which floor is she on?" she asked, looking up at the multi-storied building.

"I don't know." I turned to her and then said with a smile, "I'll race you to find it."

"Fine," she agreed. "But if I win, you owe me two months' supply of Pocky."

"I'll give you a year's supply," I put in, enthralling her even more.

"123START!" And with no warning, she sprinted off.

"HEY!" Rather than wasting more time speaking, I took off in the other direction. _Things always get serious with her when her Pocky's on the line. _ My route changed when I saw Rima already circling my way from scouting the first floor. Both of us sprung onto one of the balconies on the second level and scaled the building from opposite sides. The rush from climbing and hurdling at such speed finally came to me once I had stopped on one of the balconies on the fourth floor. I was about to peer into the room through the glass when I saw Rima's umbrella fly towards me from the reflection. I flipped backwards, catching it before it penetrated the glass door and landed in a tree across from it.

"Looks like I win," Rima said, sitting on the railing of where I just was.

"Technically, I got here first," I said, hopping onto the platform with her.

"But you didn't call it," she disagreed.

"That's because you threw your umbrella at me before I could." I smiled and handed it to her.

"You never said we weren't allowed to throw umbrellas at each other." She too grinned back, a rare sight that I could not overlook.

"Very well. A bet is a bet," I willingly gave in, feeling the true victor to be me to have seen her smile. The door was easily unlocked and we proceeded inside.

"How'd you know this is it?" Rima asked, looking around.

"Cause I saw that." My limbs felt lifeless and my mind went blank as I stared at the collage of me on the wall that I had been informed of before.

"Oh. My. God…" Rima came to my side, joining in the daze. "The woman's a bitch _and_ she's not screwed right in the head." I felt chills running through me from every nerve, pricking every inch of my skin. As a vampire, I hardly found anything to be frightening, but this...I knew _this _would give me nightmares for a while. Finally able to process the disturbing piece of work, I returned back to my objective and went over to the roommate's desk, looking through the drawers.

"What're you looking for?" Rima asked, coming over.

"Her schedule," I answered. "I was hoping she'd have a copy here. Aaaand here it is." I took out the student planner that was in the middle drawer and flipped through the pages, finding her entire week's schedule laid out in fine print. Reading over it, I memorized every detail and placed the planner back in its original spot. I never intended to intrude on Yoka's privacy, but curiosity was just a little too tempting. Seeing the disorganized side of the girl's room, I went over to a much neater area where the bed was made and the tables and dressers were clear of anything but a few books neatly stacked on top and an alarm clock by the bed.

"Not much stuff," Rima stated, perusing the title of the books. I didn't bother commenting and circled over to the bed, noticing something sticking out from underneath the pillow. It was a photograph of Yoka and a little girl with similar black hair, yet differing facial features. Rima came to where I was, also looking at the photo in my hand. "Is that her sister?"

"She never mentioned having one. If she does, she doesn't go here, at least not that I know of."

Rima leaned in closer for a better look and said, "They don't look anything alike. Maybe they're cousins." She then looked over at the clock on the table, and suggested, "We should get going." I agreed and followed her back out from where we came, eyeing her carefully as I tucked the picture into the breast pocket of my shirt.

xxx

[Saturday]

"Are you sure inviting Yuki and Kiriyu was a good idea?" Senri asked me once we returned to the Moon Dormitory from town.

"I don't see any harm in it," I answered. I smiled and added, "It's a birthday party. The more people the merrier. I'm sure Kaname would be thrilled to see her, though he may not show it." He made no further comment, remaining downstairs with the others, and I continued upstairs back to our bedroom. I entered inside and leaned my sword against my dresser, looking over at the clock on the nightstand. It was already three in the afternoon. _I told her twelve…I can't believe I stood her up. I didn't even have her number to call her._ I sat on the side of my bed before falling backwards to lie on my back, bringing my hands beneath my head as I looked up at the ceiling, hardly able to see anything but darkness with the curtains tightly shut. _It's my birthday tomorrow, and we're celebrating it at midnight. That's why I asked her out to lunch because I knew it was impossible for her to come to the party. The reasons why are too obvious. And this afternoon…I had to go to town. If I didn't, Kaname would know, and everything that I've been working at would collapse within seconds. Obeying him was the right choice. We saved the town from one less threat, we helped the hunters eliminate another target, we kept Yuki and Zero from sustaining major injuries…I have these reasons of why I didn't make a mistake, and they are all justifiable. But why…why do they still seem like excuses…? _I sat up and opened the drawer of my nightstand, pulling out the picture that I took from her room. _She looks so happy in this. I don't think I've ever seen her smile that way before._ It surprised me of how easily I was enchanted by the photo every time I saw it. Each time I looked, I felt an impulse in me rise. Each time, I fell for her even more. _I've heard people say that I have a smile like no other. But I can't disagree more. Now, I've finally found a smile that surpasses even mine. Hers. _


	9. Perfect Moment

**I have to say that I am the WORST writer on this site EVER for making you wait this long for an update. I really do apologize for the delay, but I kinda ran out of juice for this story when I started this chapter (since I practically changed everything from the original), so I decided to work on another story of mine and an unofficial lil' project ~~hint, hint~~ Then when Bioshock Infinite came out everything went on pause. But for those who have beared with me this long, thank you so much for the support. Now without further ado, here's Chapter 9! Enjoy :)**

**I don't own VK.**

* * *

[Ichijo's POV]

The patio for the backyard was already set up for the party. The lights were dimly lit, maintaining the mystique of the night, and those in our class were already enjoying themselves with refreshments and appetizers. Ruka, Senri, and Rima all stood nearby, appearing as stern as ever and awaiting for the slightest of orders from our dorm president – Kaname – who in the meantime, relaxed himself on the couch, anticipating the unknown arrival of our _special_ guests for the evening. However, Hanabusa and Akatsuki were still missing from the pack.

_They're taking longer than anticipated. I hope Kiriyu isn't causing much trouble._ I stepped down from the top of the steps where I observed and came over to where the cake was. Dropping several blood tablets into the cooling glass of champagne, I watched as the liquid gradually turned red. _Eighteen…Hm...I don't feel so different than before. _The alcohol didn't help much with the absence of enthusiasm and tasted much blander than usual. _Quit moping! Put that smile on and get yourself together. You've done this all your life, and it's worked out so well. Why mess it up here? Stay in character and tonight will go as smooth as ever. _Despite how much I reminded myself of this, every time the ends of my mouth curled up, it didn't take long for it to slip back into a dead flat line. The multilayered cake was intricately made with every drop of sweat from the baker defined in its detail. But regardless of how it was viewed, I still lacked the merriment such a dessert commonly entailed. _There was no need to have this party…To make such a big deal out of a relatively pointless celebration. But that would've "not" been me. I'm the 'kid' in the group – the one that's always outgoing and approachable. It's not like it's not true. It's just the fact of how branded that ideology of me is to those around that nowadays it's become a tedious expectation. _

"Takuma." I turned around upon hearing my name to see Akatsuki and Hanabusa back from receiving our guests – the disciplinary committee.

"Yuki! Kiriyu! Welcome to the party," I greeted with open arms. I didn't even need to remind myself for my friendly features to take form, happening so automatically and involuntarily.

"Party?" Yuki responded with dismay.

"It's my birthday."

"Oh…" She expressed a look of awkwardness, and then asked out of obvious courtesy, "How old are you then?"

"Eighteen in vampire years." With that answer, the conversation came to a dead end. I could see the eagerness fighting inside her, just waiting for her chance to inquire about what happened in town earlier today. And to her satisfaction, she finally got the opportunity _personally_ from Kaname. I was relieved to only have to explain the basic hierarchy of vampires to her, leaving the more controversial issues to the leader himself. From her reaction, it would seem that their little love triangle of a relationship just got more complicated.

There were no stars tonight. Only the moon floated atop scarcely offering much illumination where we were. I sat alone on the concrete railing that enclosed the patio, a glass of red wine in hand, surverying the nobles lounging in the backyard. Yuki and Kiriyu had disappeared for quite some time, and Gang Leader wasn't too pleased. The usual trio – of Ruka, Akatsuki, and Hanabusa – kept close by him, discussing matters amongst themselves. At the meantime, Rima and Senri stood as their own clique by the food. She shot a few glimpses my way, and it didn't take her long to come and join me.

"I saw that accident with the cake knife a moment ago," she mentioned, turning her back to the party as she leaned against the railing. "Senri's not abusing you too much, is he?"

"It was more of a harmless scratch," I responded, seeing the red liquid swirling in the glass in my hand and added, "We can't help but miss the taste of actual blood every now and then."

"You wanna' let me have a bite then?" she jested with her apathetic mien.

"I'll pass. I hear you have quite the appetite." I could tell that she wanted to at least smirk, but she distracted herself instead, tightening the violet ribbons holding her pigtails intact.

"What ever happened to Miss Crazy?" she then asked.

"I…took care of things."

"Details, please," she requested.

"You know, curiosity killed the cat."

"That theory has long since gone down the toilet, considering that y_ou're_ still alive. So? How did you 'take care' of it?" Her little banter with me made me smile genuinely for once tonight, and I chose to reward her for it.

"A little mind erasing here and there was enough to convince her that she was always an Aido fan. He already has so much. One more wouldn't hurt. I think I also snuck something in there about her wanting to change rooms."

"Let me clarify, so that I understand…You basically _rehashed_ her memory into pudding?"

I laughed at her remark, setting the glass of wine beside me. "From the way you put it, it sounds awful," I responded, glancing at her. "All I did was erase any memories of Yoka and I. Told her a few details, and then erase her thoughts of me again. She may not know how or why, but the ideas are still there, and she'll continue on like they've always been her own." From her lack of response, I assumed that Rima was taken aback by my answer. Who wouldn't be? I took a great risk of doing what I did with the possibility of permanently damaging the girl's brain. It was _my_ decision, thus _my_ responsibility. But I had my reasons, and if I was to come across such a decision a second time, my actions wouldn't change. However, if Kaname ever found out…

"God, I hope this human's worth it," I heard her mumble to herself. "You've never tried this hard before…at _anything_."

"That's because I've never met someone like her before."

She shifted to me. "Like what…?"

"I…" I wavered, blankly looking at the ground, averting her eyes. "It's just…contrast."

"_Contrast_?" she repeated, dumbfounded by my choice in words.

"She's different than me in so many ways," I continued. "She's outspoken, opinionated; whilst I'm flexible and neutral. She enjoys reading, and I, on the other hand, can hardly stand to sit down and read anything that's not in a word bubble. Whether it's who we are or…_what _we are, we're different. She likes me, but unlike the other girls I've come across, when I'm around her…she doesn't try to impress me. Instead…it's _I_ that wants to impress _her_. Although…I think her impression of me isn't fairing very well at the moment."

"Why is that?"

"How would you feel if Senri stood you up?"

"Oh my god! Was that what you were getting all dressed up for this afternoon?" she just apprehended. "Then what're you doing here for?" She snapped upright, placing her hands on her hips. "You should be out there making up for what happened! I mean…That is where you want to be right now, isn't it? With her?" Her response was like a hard jerk of my collar, hauling me out of this slump I was stuck in. All the bitter thoughts and fake disguises, they were because it was my day of the year and all I wanted was to just see her. Selfish? Yes, very much so. Coming to such a conclusion, I jumped onto my two feet, running down the steps before halting and rushing back up, my prompt embrace stunning her.

"Thank you, Rima. You always know what to say," And with her still dazed, I sprinted away.

My legs ran so vigorously that it felt as if they would break any moment, but I refused to slow down. I cut through from the dormitory, exiting from the front door. My heart raced, not from the excessive movements, but the uncontainable excitement that danced inside me. Would she be angry? Would she forgive me? Was she even awake at this hour? I didn't know, and though the answers to either of those questions could turn out disastrous, they failed to stop me…Because I could already tell that this delicate relationship of ours was clinging on by a thread, and if I wanted to save it, I couldn't let anything induce doubt in me. The gate entrance to our residence was just up ahead. So much energy surged through me that I hurdled myself over the wall, not bothering to go through the doors. I landed in perfect balance, preparing to speed off towards the Sun Dorm, but something caught my attention – or more accurately, _someone_. I stared at Yoka – standing not five meters away from me – stupefied by the coincidence of bumping into her. She returned my shock with a stunned air of disbelief herself.

"Did you…" She was at a loss of words, lowering her hand from over her mouth. "Did you just _jump_ over that wall?"

_Oops…_

"No, of course I didn't! I-I-I...climbed over, I…yeah…"

"Why would you do that?" she further questioned even more perplexed.

"It's locked," I quickly fabricated. "Um…If I may ask, what are _you_ doing here so late?" Something clicked inside her upon hearing my question, and then, her brow creased together as she trudged towards me, making the ground shake with every step.

"DO YOU TAKE ME AS AN IDIOT?" she yelled, her raised voice making my stomach suck up and shrink inside. "DO YOU KNOW HOW _STUPID_ I FELT STANDING IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL WAITING FOR YOU?" Her hands clenched into fists as she frantically tried to express her irrepressible anger. "IT'S BEEN PISSING ME OFF THIS ENTIRE DAY, AND I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE! THE ONLY REASON I'M HERE, IS TO TELL YOU THAT I'M _NOT_ LIKE ANY OF THOSE SENSELESS GIRLS THAT GROVEL AT YOUR FEET! YOU CAN'T TWIRL ME AROUND YOUR FINGER TO YOUR PLEASING!" She threw a punch at my arm, and I remained still, letting one hit come after another, until she was satisfied. She sounded furious – even acting on it – but her frown hinted sadness, and those jaded orbs of hers showed the hurt that I caused. It was suffocating to see the aftermath of my actions. My choice of following orders was one that had to be done. However, it was one that I regretted. She lowered her head, cutting away her contact from me, as her hands steadily returned to her side. "Forget it," I heard her speak in a tone much quieter than before. "Just…whatever…I shouldn't even have come…"

"Wait." I grabbed her arm, preventing her from walking away. "I know that any excuses of mine is the last thing you want to hear, so I'm not gonna' bother. But I _am_ sorry…for not showing up. I _really_ wanted to be there, but I couldn't." There were no critical retorts or rebukes of any sort, though she refrained from facing me. I took in a deep breath, readying myself. "I want you to know that I _know_ you're not like any of the others...Else, why would I leap over a wall for you?" She noticed the lighthearted grin that eased on to my face from her peripheral gaze. "But I want _you_ to know that _I'm_ not like any other guy. I don't care about getting as many girls as I can. Because there's only one girl that I want…and I'm looking at her right now."

"You seriously think you can sweet-talk your way out of this?" She finally showed some sense of acknowledgment and pulled her hand away like sand escaping between my fingers.

"No," I honestly answered, realizing the discomfort from the emptiness that revisited my grasp. "I…don't want it to be that easy. My wishes have always been granted with a simple command, but this time…I want to work for what I want." She smirked with doubt and shook her head, crossing her arms as she mocked me. She couldn't acknowledge my sincerity, and I didn't blame her. But I wasn't going to let that be a discouragement. "There's something I've been meaning to give you," I brought up. "I was going to bring it to you this afternoon…And I didn't expect to bump into you here…." I looked over my shoulder, seeing the eerie silhouette of the dorm engulfed by the dark on the other side of the wall. "…It's in my room, and…I don't think bringing you in is a wise choice, especially with everyone awake. Why don't you wait here for me instead?" She didn't say anything, and I knew that the distrust was difficult for her to set aside. "I'll come back…I promise."

[Yoka's POV]

Indecision warred inside me; my emotions and rationality fought like battalions. I didn't know which side to choose – to follow through with what I'd been telling myself all day and screw the man, or to let go of my sense of pride from the fear of being played once more and give him just this one opportunity he was asking for. I always knew which choice I wanted to make, when such internal conflicts took root, but not this time. The will of both sides were too strong that it was impossible for me to clearly see what I was suppose to choose. _But_ w_hat is it exactly that I want?_ _Do I want this fantasy of a relationship to continue? I know it's not gonna' last. These things never do. _Avoiding his gaze didn't help with my decision, and neither did remaining silent. So I acted, freeing my body to do what felt right – to stay or to walk away. My body turned away from him, and I took one step in the other direction. My move astounded me, and a drop of relief drizzled onto my heart, only to be thrust back to square one when my feet refused to budge another inch. I wanted to proceed onward, but all strength was sapped from my legs that they remained glued to the ground. I lightly shook my head, scolding myself under my breath. _Stupid…Always wanting to run away from anything remotely sentimental. What if your wants aren't what's meant for you? Did you ever think about that? Maybe…this'll be a good time to try it..._

As anticipated, my body refused to move forward but it was more than willing to turn back around. My muscles tightened, making it hard for me to adjust my sight up to him. Though it wasn't from reluctance; rather, it was out of embarrassment from my absurd behavior at the moment. Not a word slipped from Ichijo's mouth, but he patiently waited for an answer that I still haven't given.

Feeling for something to hold on to, my hands eventually found security in each other, and then I softly spoke, "…Okay…" A tiny ray of hope shined in those porcelain-like eyes of his.

"Great! I-I-I'll be right back! Wait here!" and then he turned to dart off.

"Wait!" I shouted to him. "The gates locked though, isn't it?" Strangely enough, he seemed confused. _Why is he looking at me like that? Did he already forget?_

"Oh…that's right," he said, placing his hand flat against the gigantic metal door. With a little push, it opened, and he chuckled awkwardly. "Oops…I guess I was wrong. I'll be back!" He disappeared behind the gates.

"What a weird man…"

The sky was dark, and a slight breeze slithered by. My wrist was naked with no watch, but I knew it was the latest that I'd ever stayed up, though my eyelids were far from drowsy. I paced in front of the entrance, glancing up at it every now and then. _Talk about anxious. He already said he was coming back…So why are you still so worried?_ That was true; I didn't _know_ why. Was it because of what happened? That sense of hurt that I had when at last I convinced myself to abandon the illusion that he'd come even when I knew he wouldn't? How could a boy have such an effect on me? Fidgeting never made itself more present than it did now. I brought my hand to my hair, combing through it, attempting to ease the anxiety. The gesture helped, but composure threw itself out the window when Ichijo suddenly landed not three meters from me. My eyes blazed wide open at him, then at the shut gate behind me.

"Did you…Wha-…" I gaped at him as he stood nonchalantly. "Okay, I've seen the Olympics, and I can tell you that not even _those_ people can make that jump! So how the hell did you do that?"

"It's really not that high," he replied with that same nervous undertone from before.

"Who are you kidding? That's at _least_ twenty feet!"

"Here. I got it." He held out something to me.

"No, don't change the sub-" My interrogation ceased once an all too familiar image came into view. The end of that word dangled at the tip of my tongue from my gaping mouth. "I've…" I couldn't even continue speaking, receiving what he was passing on to me. The old photo of my sister and I fitted perfectly within a silver frame that was beautifully crafted with a vine of roses. There was coldness from the metal when I clutched my fingers over the edges, but it dissolved from the warmth of the pictured smile that days ago I thought I'd never see again. "I've been looking everywhere for this." I drew it closer to me out of a sense of security. "I literally tore apart my room trying to find it. How is it that you have it?"

"Would you like to go for a walk?" he asked out of the blue.

"What?"

"A walk," he repeated. "It's just that this spot isn't the most ideal place to have this discussion."

"This isn't another impromptu date, is it?" His spontaneous acts always pushed me a step behind him, making me continually guess his next move. I hated not being able to predict what would happen; yet with him, not knowing was…_invigorating_.

"If I remember correctly, last time went quite well." He quietly waited for me, the corner of his lips hooking themselves to my heart and making it even more impossible not to cooperate. Every muscle in my body strained for me to walk with only my ego anchoring me to the ground.

_What are you so reluctant about? Isn't this what you've been waiting for? Sure, it's not the same planned out date like this afternoon, but at least it's another start._ Deception disgusted me because it shielded the truth, and to have let my pride get in the way of my emotions was no different. He brought his hand out from behind him, revealing the bottle of wine and two wine glasses clasped between his fingers. That was when pride began fighting a losing battle, until it finally threw in the white flag when my legs naturally carried me forward.

We walked aimlessly about towards campus, not caring if we were spotted; though the odds were slim at this hour. I then instigated, "So when are you gonna' start answering my questions from before?"

"Have you and your roommate been getting along?" was his reply back. It sounded like he was avoiding from answering, but I knew he was getting somewhere.

"I don't have one anymore," I told him, going along.

"What happened?"

"I don't know." Just the thought of that girl exhausted me, and a massage of my temple wasn't nearly going to be enough to rid the migraine that ensued. "Apparently she filed a complaint to our dorm president about me being 'unsuitable' to live with. Oh well. It's not like I didn't complain to the chairman about her myself."

"You went to Cross?"

"I thought he'd be more understanding than the president. I couldn't find my picture and I thought she took it, so…"

"That's a big assumption to make. What made you think that?" He was asking a lot, and it made me wonder if he somehow knew, but that couldn't have been possible. I never told him. The classrooms came into view as we casually strolled along the path. The school looked remarkably different than it did during the day. Engulfed in the dark, it was like a castle with not a single soul nearby. The lampposts surrounding the exterior were no longer lit at this time, making the gothic structure appear abandoned, although its finely pruned garden soiled the ominous image.

I shrugged my shoulders and then replied, "It was just a feeling."

"A feeling, huh…?" The skepticism mixed in his tone confirmed my guess. He knew, and upon instinct, my mind entered into defense.

"You're not telling me something," I frankly said, stopping in mid walk.

"As are you," he equally accused. He wasn't upset nor was he attempting to ridicule me, but as a result, my heart began to harden. I waited for emptiness to take its place within me, sucking away the emotions that I let freely roam about this past week, but nothing happened. I was far from being detached because I saw something that worried me. From his somber eyes, I saw a trace of care.

"It's none of your business," I gravely said to him. Should I have just run away and avoid all the explaining? That was what I should've done if I wanted things to end right then. I thought of that before – how things would've been if I had made that choice. Life was filled with that kind of bullshit. Nevertheless, I stayed.

Generally, a remark like that was difficult to reply back, but he didn't seem to struggle. Instead, he openly told me, "You're right. It's absolutely none of my business, and if you were any of the others in your class, then fine. But you're not. I care about you." I felt his hand suddenly clutch my heart, igniting the abnormal heartbeat that I found his presence to inflict on me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't wrench my eyes from him. "And when you care about someone," he continued, "You care about everything, even the things that aren't any of your business." No one had ever said such things to me. Could it be true? Did he really mean it? "I figured you were having a hard time with your roommate when you mentioned her that day in the men's lavatory." His gaze then strayed to his left, lowering in shame as he further admitted, "So I…broke into you room."

Somehow, I wasn't surprised by that. In fact, I expected it. _How else could he have gotten the picture?_

"You mentioned she was 'obsessed' over me, so I thought that may have been her reason. Then I saw that _thing_ on her wall…and I knew." He kept switching his look from the ground to me, more or less nervous of my lack of reaction. Seeing that I still did not respond, he went on, " I was just looking for a way to contact her and talk." His gaze quit bouncing back and forth, resting on me with a resoluteness that instantly appeared as he affirmed, "I am sorry if my actions may have violated you in any manner. But I'm not sorry for what I did. It wasn't right the way she treated you."

All that he was saying, it was so much. Never had a boy willingly pursued me. Never had a boy just wanted to be my friend, and I never wanted one. So here I was, face to face with a boy that said he cared…a boy that _showed_ he cared. What was I to do then? As calm as I appeared, inside me was a whirlpool with indecipherable feelings swirling round and round. _What are you going to do now? Before him, you always only had one option: run. But now, you have another…Stay. Which will it be? _I looked down at the picture in my hands, hoping that seeing my sister's face would give me some form of guidance.

"You…You didn't…threaten her, did you?" I found myself asking, having been speechless minutes ago.

"Oh, no. No, of course not. We talked was all," he answered. "She did try to hit me though, multiple times."

I covered my mouth turning away from him, but it was no use. My lips curled so high that even my hand could not hide the smirk that ensued._ At a time like this, why do I want to laugh? This is ridiculous. Yes…That's precisely it. 'This' IS ridiculous. This arguing, this feeling…everything pertaining to him is ridiculous! And…that's why I want it. _I lightly shook my head at my thoughts, a soft giggle inevitably escaping me.

"So…What's next?"

He was stunned to hear that. It was completely off the scale of what he expected: the sudden relaxation, the laughing, and the smile. _God, he must think I'm bipolar._

"I'm…not sure," he then said. "I thought you were upset with me, but…you're smiling, and…I'm sorry, but is this a trick question?"

He made me laugh again, puzzling him even more. But I couldn't keep leaving him in the dark, so I then replied to him, "No. It wasn't a trick question. I just…" I looked down at the picture again. "…I just finally realized."

"Realized what?"

"That when something good happens…I don't always have to run." A confidence spurred in me. It wasn't big, but it was sufficient. Enough for me to smile instead of cringe from what happened, and enough for me to suddenly reach for him. For the first time, I made the initiation, taking him by the hand. "Thank you for talking to Akira." And once his fingers wrapped around mine in response, I then asked again, "So what's next? This isn't the end of our date, is it?"

By now, he too was smiling as he always did, bringing up the wine and glasses still in his hand, and said, "Not yet."

[Ichijo's POV]

When our hands met, it wasn't ecstatic. There was no tingling or chills from the way a single touch did before. We were past that. As her fingers slid over my palm, I was soothed, doused by serenity from head to toe. And rather than feel every nerve spaz and twitch sporadically, it settled, warming like the surface of the ocean shined by the rising sun from the horizon. The sparks never lasted long; they always disappeared as fast as they came. But for as long as we were connected, this sensation remained.

We found a courtyard near where we were and settled down by the large fountain, surrounded by bushes of carnations and violets. Though the outdoor lights weren't on this late at night, the moon and open sky provided enough lighting to my surprise.

"Thank you…for the picture frame," she said, taking the wine I handed to her. "It's beautiful."

"A beautiful frame for a beautiful picture," I said, taking a sip from my glass. "Who is that with you in the photo?"

"I knew you'd ask," she remarked, looking at it, a serene smile growing every second. But it wasn't from my question; it was from seeing that wonderful moment captured forever for her to admire. She revealed, "That's Alice…My little sister."

"How old is she?"

"She's nine," Yoka replied. "She lives with my aunt a few hours from here." She noticed how I joined her in admiring the photograph. I couldn't help it. And to my musing, I contemplated: could I ever make her smile like that? She then inquired, "What is it?"

"It's just a wonderful picture," I frankly stated. "You two look so happy."

"We were…but happiness like that never lasts." She said it so naturally that at first, I thought I misheard. She took a drink, finishing the glass, and set it down.

"That's a rather sad thought," I commented, pouring her some more wine. "Do you honestly believe that?"

"More times than I don't."

_And here I thought we couldn't be any more different, yet another disproved assumption. _

"I couldn't disagree more," I remarked, filling my glass halfway.

The clashing of opinions amused her enough to evoke a grin, and she poked, "Well, not everyone can be all sunshine like you."

"It's not as easy as it looks." I gulped down my drink, not bothering to refill it.

"Then why put up this front? Why not just be you?"

_This front...Even she can see through it. I wonder…What else can she see through in me?_

"What if this _is_ me?" I questioned back.

"No, it isn't. There's more."

"And how can you be so certain?"

"…Because I'm just like you."

We both then realized what we had done. The facades that we worked so hard to keep up in front of everyone slipped, even for just a minute. It happened so quickly, so effortlessly, and unbeknownst to either of us that it felt fated to happen all along. Our eyes broke from one another, each straying off the other way. _How did this happen? No. The better question is why? Talking with her…everything just falls into place. Every time she speaks, every moment she laughs, and every chance she smiles, I fall for her even more. And I can't stop wanting to tell her._

"I should go." "I like you." We both faced the other and spoke at once.

"What!?" She stared back at me, scorched with embarrassment just as much as I. I slapped my hand over my face, turning my head away whilst shaming myself for such a humiliation.

_That wasn't how it was suppose to go! It was suppose to be thought out, amazing, and perfect. And I ruined it with my own overly emotionally driven impulsiveness!_

"I-I'm sorry," I hastily apologized, unable to face her, the rush of blood to my face seemingly never-ending. "I…" I couldn't even find the words to explain myself.

"Takuma…" her voice unexpectedly found its way to my ears. I felt the red hue over my countenance retreat and the familiar fervor from earlier grew from my arm, across my chest, and to the slowed pounding core of my existence. When I looked to see the cause of this immediate yet gentle effect, I found her hand to be the origin, placed over the side of my arm with only the thin fabric of my sleeve cutting off the direct contact of our skins. She sat right beside me, having closed the distance between. Without warning or any preparation, she leaned forward and for the first time, our lips met one another's. We merely brushed against the surface, but I didn't move a muscle as I memorized how the tension was burned away by the passion being imprinted over my mouth and an almost searing pain when she pulled back. I finally caught her eye, having from avoiding it seconds ago. Her blue irises – now a shade of black from the night – glistened back at me under the moonlight, and I could resist no longer. I reunited our desired-stained lips, this time, molding mine into hers. I had never kissed a girl, and I was clueless as to how it was suppose to be. Experienced or not, it didn't matter, for the intimate thirst that spread from my mouth was enough to guide me. Its control took over my hand, bringing it up to caress the delicate skin of her cheek, but it didn't stop there. Our bodies came together as she pushed herself onto my lap, never breaking away from me. With one hand on the nape of my neck, she kept the other flat against my chest, a barrier of hesitation lurking in her but overpowered by the physical urges that channeled from her tongue to mine. Both of us were reaching our limit, our lungs running out of oxygen to further fuel our movements, but our lips were locked. The adrenaline and the passion drove us to continue and eventually…over the edge. So lost in our own world, I inadvertently leaned back as she pressed forward against me, and before I realized it, we fell over the ledge of the fountain and into the pit of water. When I opened my eyes, I found Yoka on top of me, gazing back beautifully as she caught her first breath since I sealed our mouths together. And we both smiled from feeling the steady rhythm of our chests heave against another. We sat up, sitting in the water, still regaining our strength but most of all, trying to digest what just happened.

"I guess I picked the wrong spot for our date," I joked, relieving some of the post-kiss awkwardness.

" 'I couldn't disagree more'," she quoted of me with a grin almost breaking into mirth. I joined her in the laugh, brushing my wet hair back over my head.

When our chuckles mellowed out, my smile still remained, and then I decided to try one more time, "I…like you…a lot, Yoka."

"Yeah…I kinda got that when you broke into my room," she smirked. She inched her way closer to me, and her hand attempted to reach for mine in my lap but vacillated only a few centimeters away. Then carefully, I took hers.

"You really aren't like any of them," she muttered, looking at our hands becoming one. "There's something…something different about you."

"Is that a good thing…or a bad thing?"

_She's right, you know? I'm really not like anyone she's ever met. In my world, I'm the predator whilst she's the prey. The wolf and the lamb if you will._

"It's not good nor is it bad," she told me, stroking her thumb over the back of my hand. "It's just _you_."

_Just me, huh? The thing is though…she still doesn't know the real me. She doesn't know of the fangs, the glowing eyes, and the blood. And I can't help but think, if she finds out- No. 'When' she finds out, will she accept me…or will she judge me…?_ A gentle touch brought me back from my sudden brooding.

Yoka's hand was on my cheek, and seeing my returned presence, she told me, "And you being you is exactly what makes me want you." Not another word came from her but only the tender touch of her lips on mine once again.

* * *

**For those that liked the original scene better, I apologize for the change. I just felt this one was a more...intimate? approach. Anyways, again, sorry for the late update, and I hope you enjoyed this (really long!) chapter. Until next time.**


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